Webb Ellis Cup
New Zealand will host the biggest sporting event in its history, when rugby teams from around the world compete in Rugby World Cup 2011. The aim of all nations will undoubtedly be to walk away with the game’s most coveted prize - the Webb Ellis Cup.
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New Zealand Post, in partnership with the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, is delighted to offer you the opportunity to acquire this stunning legal tender official commemorative coin featuring the Webb Ellis Cup.
The Webb Ellis Cup is rugby’s most sought-after prize. Named after William Webb Ellis, the man credited with creating the game of rugby, the cup was discovered in the vaults of the Royal Jeweller Garrad in London. Made in 1906, the design is based on a cup originally created in 1740 by Paul de Lamerie.
It was John Kendall-Carpenter, Chairman of Rugby World Cup and Air Commodore Bob Weighill, the Secretary of the International Rugby Board (IRB), who first set eyes on it in London. In association with other IRB members, they famously selected it as the Tournament’s grand prize and named it ‘the Webb Ellis Cup’.
Since the inaugural Tournament in 1987, the Webb Ellis Cup has been presented to the Rugby World Cup champion every four years. New Zealand was proud to join Australia in hosting the first Rugby World Cup Tournament – and Kiwis worldwide were ecstatic when New Zealand emerged victorious. That’s because rugby’s part of our cultural makeup, a sport through which we’ve made our mark around the globe and through which we express our values of healthy competition and fair play.
