Rugby Union's World Cup was launched just over 20 years ago but it is already one of the world's leading sports tournaments, following in the wake of soccer's World Cup and the Olympics.

Indeed, Rugby World Cup (RWC), run by the International Rugby Board (IRB), is the financial engine which drives the development of the game world-wide.

The 2007 tournament, hosted by France, generated revenues of £122.4 million, almost double that of the previous edition in 2003. Some 2.2 million tickets were sold for the event, which also attracted 1.8 million website hits and record television viewing figures via 238 channels around the world. The total TV audience was estimated as 4.2 billion.

The inaugural tournament in 1987 saw 16 teams take part, and that number had increased to 20 by 2007.

Part of the IRB's mission has been to use the event to help grow the sport across the world, but that zeal was tempered by tragedy in 1995.

Max Brito, playing for the minnows of Ivory Coast against Tonga, was injured and left paralysed, highlighting the very real dangers of pitting lesser teams against the established giants of the game. Those dangers have been further exacerbated by the advent of professionalism.

Minor teams who have taken part in the tournament include Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Uruguay, Spain, Namibia, Georgia and Portugal.