England To Host the 2015 RWC

England Will Host

the Rugby World Cup - 2015

Widely-spread grins and Rosey cheeks (Get it?) are sure to abound, as England excitedly makes their last-minute preparations for what will soon be the 8th installment of The Rugby World Cup!

For their second time of Hosting The World Cup (having  first co-Hosted it with Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and France in 1991), England has carefully selected and lovingly made ready 13, different Venues to house this highly-anticipated, grand affair:

01.  Twickenham Stadium, London - Capacity of 82,000

02.  Wembley Stadium, London - Capacity of 90,000

03.  Millennium Stadium, Cardiff - Capacity of 74,500

04.  Manchester Stadium, Manchester - Capacity of 56,000

05.  Olympic Stadium, London - Capacity of 54,000

06.  St. James' Park, Newcastle - Capacity of 52,387

07.  Villa Park, Birmingham - Capacity of 42,788

08.  Elland Road, Leeds - Capacity of 37,900

09.  Leicester City Stadium, Leicester - Capacity of 32,262

10.  Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester - Capacity of 16,500

11.  Sandy Park, Exeter - Capacity of 12,500

12.  Stadium MK, Milton Keynes - Capacity of 30,500

13.  Brighton Community Stadium, Brighton - Capacity of 30,750

Of the Thirteen Venues selected, 2 are actual, dedicated Rugby Union Grounds:  

Sandy Park in Exeter and Kingsholm Stadium in Gloucester; 

2 are National Rugby Stadiums:

Twickenham Stadium (London, England)

An aerial view of Twickenham Stadium

and Millennium Stadium (Cardiff, Wales);

A panoramic view of Millennium Stadium

and 2 are multi-purpose Stadiums:

Wembley Stadium in London, and Olympic Stadium, also in London.

The remaining 7 Venues are Association Football Grounds.

Manchester City Stadium is currently being upgraded for the coming event, and construction is expected to be complete by August, 2015.

A Brief History of Twickenham Stadium

Twickenham Stadium, England

Twickenham Stadium, located on Whitton Road, Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, South West London, is the National Stadium of England; and is soon to premier as one of the 13, pre-selected Venues to help co-host The 2015 Rugby World Cup, which is all set to kick off (Ahem, if you'll pardon the pun!) on September 18th, 2015.

All Blacks at Twickenham

Twickenham, AKA "The Tarquin Dome", or "Twickers", as it is sometimes referred to, stands as the largest Rugby Union Stadium in the World, and also holds the proud distinctions of being the 2nd largest Stadium in The United Kingdom, London (Next to Wembley Stadium, also London), and the 4th largest Stadium in all of Europe, with a crowd capacity of 82,000.

An aerial view of Twickenham Stadium

In the year 1907, RFU (Rugby Football Union) Committee Member, William "Billy" Williams, along with RFU Treasurer, William Cail, set out, upon the urging of some anxious Employers, on what would eventually be noted as a history-making endeavour: To seek out and purchase England's first Rugby Union dedicated grounds.

Recognizing some great, albeit hidden, potential, Billy Williams settled upon a humble Cabbage Patch, resting comfortably in Twickenham, London.

For £5,500 12s and 6d, the 10¼ acres were swiftly purchased, and construction began the following year for what would later be referred to as, "The Home of Rugby Union".  As a result of these "game changing" events, Twickenham Stadium would also come to be affectionately referred to as "Billy Williams' Cabbage Patch, "The Cabbage Patch", or just simply "Headquarters".

On October 2nd, 1909, Twickenham Stadium hosted its inaugural Match between English Rugby Union club Teams, Harlequins and Richmond (14-10, Harlequins).   A first International Test Match would soon follow, making its Twickenham debut on January 15th, 1910, between International Rugby Teams, England and Wales (11-6, England).  At that time, Twickenham's maximum capacity only allowed for a mere 20,000 spectators.

During the First World War (WWI), England's most beloved Stadium was once again humbled and brought down to the lowly status of "Cow Pasture", when it was temporarily converted for the necessary grazing of some of the country's sheep, horse, and cattle populations.  In public remembrance and gratitude of this noble sacrifice, King George V would later unveil a War Memorial, in 1921.

In the year 1959, old adversaries, England and Wales, joined forces to battle worthy opponents, Ireland and Scotland, in a unique Test Match to celebrate Twickenham's 50th Anniversary.  England and Wales won the Match, 26-17.

In celebration of Twickenham's 100th Anniversary, England's International Rugby Players wore commemorative shirts in an International Test Match against Wales that was played on February 6th, 2010, in Twickenham Stadium.  England, rather appropriately, thrashed the opposing Team, winning the historical game with a final score of 30-17.

In a love affair that has lasted for over a century, Billy's Cabbage Patch also retains the unique, additional distinction of being the only National Stadium in the entire World to have its native Team,  England, play nearly all their Home Games there (as opposed to any other National Team of the World, who prefer to "switch up" their playing Venues on a regular basis), and is considered to be by its Patrons, one of England's most-precious treasures and crowning achievements (if you'll pardon the 2nd pun!).