Rugby World Cup 2015

Rugby World Cup 2015 | Daniela Pagliarulo

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterEngland18/09/2015 00:00
TW
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England get the Rugby World Cup underway tonight with a potentially bruising encounter against Fiji, the hosts just one of a handful of teams with a realistic chance of winning the Webb Ellis Cup, currently held by favourites New Zealand.

The six-week tournament has been billed as the first billion dollar rugby festival, with 2.3 million tickets expected to be sold and tourists contributing some £869 million to Britain's economy.

Almost half a million tourists are expected to visit Britain for the games, whose four dozen matches involving 20 teams will take in traditional rugby venues like Cardiff but also bastions of football such as Manchester and Newcastle.