RugbyWorld
Youmight be forgiven for assuming those eccentric
17th centuryFrencharistocratswerebehind thegameof
rugby (weren’t they behind every game?) but it actually
goesbacktothedourEnglish.SmallEnglishcountrytowns
duringmedieval timeswouldblowupapig’sbladderand
half the townwould try topush itonewaywhile theother
half would try to push it back. There must have been
precious little todoback in thosedays.
The gamewe know of today can be dated back to
1823 at an English school called Rugby. The story goes
thatayoungschoolboyby thenameofWilliamWebbEllis
pickedupa football onedayand started to runwith it. All
ofhis friends tackledhim to thegroundand thegamewas
born. Even though the storymay bear little resemblance
to the truth, the legend is so strong that rugby’s ultimate
prize theWebbEllisCupbears theyoungboy’sname.
Those thatplay thegame refer to itas the‘game they
play inheaven’. Inmostpartsof theworld itplayedby the
upper class and has been branded as an ‘animal’s game
played by gentlemen’. InNew Zealand and South Africa
it is thecountry’spremier sport, playedbyall and sundry,
and is closer toa religion thana sport.
TheRugbyWorldCuphasbeenheldevery fouryears
since 1987. The 2011 competition is being held in New
Zealand. Theworld’s 20best teamswill come together to
fight itoutstartingonSeptember9through toOctober23
when thefinalwill beheldat EdenPark inAuckland.
FlyingtheflagforAsiawillbetheJapaneseteam.Even
though theyhavea richWorldCup tradition, andwillhost
thecompetition in2019, theyare rankoutsiders to lift the
cup. Rugby is growing inAsia andmany experts feel that
therecouldbeat leastonemoreAsian team representing
the region. Hong Kong, famous for its annual Rugby
Sevens competition, has a very strong rugby culture and
the game continues to grow in popularity inmost other
Asiancountries.
The only problemwith the RugbyWorldCup is the
difference in ability between the strong and the weak
sides. Thewhole tournament needs tobe reorganised to
eliminate powerhouses crushing minnows in lopsided
games but that is a topic for another time. There are six
real chances in this competition, let’s take a look at their
prospectsand thepricesonoffer.
很多人也许认为橄榄球的起源与17世纪那些疯狂的法国贵族
有关，这是可以理解的（他们不是与所有的游戏都相关吗？），
然而橄榄球实际上是沉闷的英国人发明的。中世纪时代一些英国
小镇上，人们会将猪的膀胱充气，然后两队人马踢来踢去。当时
的业余活动一定极度匮乏。
今天我们所熟知的橄榄球（Rugby）可以追溯到1823年一个叫
Rugby的英国学校。故事是这样的，某场足球赛上一个名叫William
Webb Ellis的男生抱起地上的足球跑起来。他所有的朋友将他扑倒
在地，这个新游戏就由此产生。尽管故事与事实相去甚远，但这个
传说流传得如此广泛，以致于橄榄球的至高荣誉－世界杯奖杯也采
用了这个男孩的名字Webb Ellis。
玩橄榄球的人将它称为“天堂中的游戏”。在世界上大部分地
区它都是上层社会的游戏，于是被标榜为“绅士玩的动物游戏”。
在新西兰和南非，橄榄球是首要运动项目，人人参与，更像是一种
宗教信仰。
自1987年以来，橄榄球世界杯每四年举行一次。2011年的比
赛即将在新西兰展开，于9月9日开始，10月23日结束。世界上最
好的20支球队将齐集这里。决赛将于10月23日在奥克兰的伊甸公
园举行。
代表亚洲出征的是日本队。尽管日本有着丰富的世界杯传统
并将主办2019年世界杯，他们并不被视为夺冠热门。橄榄球在亚洲
还是一个发展中的项目，很多业内人士认为会至少再出现一支代表
该地区的球队。香港以每年的七人制橄榄球赛出名，橄榄球氛围浓
厚。在多数其它亚洲国家中，这个项目也都在不断推广。
橄榄球世界杯唯一的问题是强弱两个阵营实力的悬殊。整个赛
事需要重新安排来避免大鲨吃小鱼的情况，不过这个话题我们下次
再讨论。在这场争夺中有六个热门球队，我们来分别看下他们各自
的机会及赔率。
橄榄球世界杯即
将在新西兰拉开
序幕。对橄榄球迷
们来说接下来的六个
星期将会好戏连台。
TheRugbyWorldCup isabouttoget
underway in New Zealand and rugby
fanaticswillhavesixweeks to lap itallup.
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