Notes

When the 2015 Rugby World Cup kicks off in September, organisers expect it to be the third greatest sporting event in the world - rivalled only by FIFA's football World Cup and the Olympics. For an event staged only seven times in its history, the record books are well and truly on rugby's side, though to its fans, this comes as no surprise. The game that began life as a deadly scrummage in a posh British boy's school has evolved into the closest thing to war attainable on a sports field today - and everybody wants their country to win! Discover World Cup rugby from its early origins - witness the evolution of the game over nearly two centuries of popularity, controversy and success, and the many attempts to stage a world tournament in the lead-up to 1987's inaugural event. Step into the club-rooms of the 25 participating teams in the cup's history, and learn of their wins, losses and achievements since the very beginning. View the profiles of the cup's major players, past and present, including Jonny Wilkinson, Serge Blanco, Jonah Lomu, Brian O'Driscoll and many, many more. Fact-sheets, photographs, statistics and trivia abound as we explore how today's World Cup greats reached the top - and how they continue to push the boundaries of nail-biting excitement in rugby. Learn all about the fixtures, the 20 qualifying teams and the 13 venues for 2015's clash of rugby's world giants in England and Wales, including Wembley Stadium, Manchester City Stadium, the Millennium Stadium and Rugby itself - the birthplace of the game. Step into the future with the experts' projections for 2015, and test yourself against rugby's top tipsters in the lead-up to what promises to be the most exhilarating cup yet. This is a must-have for every fan of the game, packed with a plethora of photographs, facts and figures, and promising to last well beyond Twickenham's final whistle in 2015.