The sport of rugby union has just unlocked the door to a brave new world. Predictions that sides like Japan would be flattened by “proper” nations and that there would be a surfeit of dull, second-rate games in half-empty football stadia were proved gloriously and thrillingly wrong, even before New Zealand defeated Australia in Saturday’s throbbing finale at Twickenham.
Here’s a statistic to reinforce the sense of a global game going places. The average attendance at the football World Cup in Brazil in 2014, over 64 matches, was 53,592. At its rugby equivalent, supposedly a much poorer relation, the figure was remarkably similar: 51,621 over 48 games.
There were 2.47mn tickets sold, backed up by record TV audiences with Olympic recognition looming for rugby sevens next year. RWC 2019 in Japan will bring further expansion.
But do not simply judge 2015 on size or scale alone. Instead, cling to the sights and sounds of the past month and a half: thousands of Argentina fans turning Twickenham into a suburb of Buenos Aires, the unforgettable Brave Blossoms of Brighton, Namibians and Georgians being roared on in Exeter. The best World Cups offer a kaleidoscope of images and this brilliantly-staged oval-ball extravaganza outdid anything the game has seen. The 2015 tournament was certainly not defined by England’s premature exit.
Instead it will be remembered for the rare excellence of the rugby, not least when the All Blacks were playing. New Zealand have become the first side in history to defend their world title, offering a fitting farewell to stalwarts such as Richie McCaw and Dan Carter. “To be standing where we are having won back-to-back World Cups is such a unique and special feeling,” said Carter, who is ending his international career after 112 Tests and moving to Paris to play for Racing 92.
Sift through a few more mental snapshots - complete strangers crossing the street to congratulate Japanese families on their team’s stunning win over South Africa, teenage girls working on their line-out throwing in the fan-zone on Brighton beach, 90,000 people watching Ireland vs Romania at Wembley, Diego Maradona going bananas - and the inconceivable suddenly seems feasible. Could rugby union at last fulfil its mass-market potential and make even football pause for thought? Give it 20 years and the likes of Japan and USA will be pushing harder still.
If - or rather when - that happens, 2015 will have been a significant catalyst. Never mind the commercial strides or the remarkable weather, it has been a game changer. There are increasing signs rugby will not be dominated indefinitely by the same familiar names and the gap between supposed tier one and tier two nations is narrowing all the time.
It all augurs well for the game’s future.