what is the duration of a rugby match
Rugby union Games are divided into 40-minute halves, with a break in the middle.[63] The sides exchange ends of the field after the half-time break.[63] Stoppages for injury or to allow the referee to take disciplinary action do not count as part of the playing time, so that the elapsed time is usually longer than 80 minutes.[63] The referee is responsible for keeping time, even when—as in many professional tournaments—he is assisted by an official time-keeper.[63] If time expires while the ball is in play, the game continues until the ball is "dead", and only then will the referee blow the whistle to signal half-time or full-time; but if the referee awards a penalty or free-kick, the game continues.[63]
Rugby World Cup The inaugural tournament, jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, was held in May and June 1987, with sixteen nations taking part.[16] New Zealand became the first ever champions, defeating France 29–9 in the final.[17] The subsequent 1991 tournament was hosted by England, with matches played throughout Britain, Ireland and France. This tournament saw the introduction of a qualifying tournament; eight places were allocated to the quarter-finalists from 1987, and the remaining eight decided by a thirty-five nation qualifying tournament.[1] Australia won the second tournament, defeating England 12–6 in the final.[18]