World Cup spots

• The most-capped All Black, Sean Fitzpatrick, has also played more World Cup matches than any other player. He made 17 appearances during the first three tournaments. Australian pair David Campese and Michael Lynagh are second equal on that list with 15 games, while French star Philippe Sella played 14 games.

• Seven players have been sent off in World Cup history. Welshman Huw Richards (against New Zealand) and Australian David Codey (against Wales) were ordered off during the 1987 tournament.

Argentinian Pedro Sporleder and Western Samoan Mata'afa Keenan were sent off in the fiery clash between those countries in 1991.

Three players - Springbok James Dalton and Canadians Gareth Rees and Rod Snow - were dismissed in the ugly South Africa-Canada game in 1995.

• Just one match has been drawn in the first three World Cup tournaments - and that came on day two of the opening event.

France and Scotland played out a 20-20 draw at Christchurch, although the 1995 World Cup final between New Zealand and South Africa was also drawn at fulltime, 9-9, before the Springboks won in extra time.

• New Zealander Simon Culhane holds the record for the most points scored by an individual in a World Cup match. He got 45 in the 145-17 rout of Japan in 1995 - and it was his test debut.

Scottish fullback Gavin Hastings holds the next two placings on that ladder, for his 44 against the Ivory Coast and 31 against Tonga, both in that same
tournament.

Frenchman Didier Camberabero scored 30 points against Zimbabwe in 1987 while All Black Marc Ellis scored six tries - a New Zealand test record - for 30 points, against Japan in 1995.

• In the first three World Cups there have been two instances of countries playing each other at every tournament.

Australia have played England each time, as have New Zealand and Scotland. The All Blacks played the Scots in a quarterfinal in 1987, the third-place playoff in 1991 and a quarterfinal again in 1995, and won each time.

• New Zealand have scored more tries in World Cup history than any other country.

The total stands at 103 going into this year's tournament. That includes a tournament record 43 in the 1987 Cup. France have scored 64 tries, Australia 63 and Scotland 62.

Japan and Argentina are the only countries to have scored tries in all their World Cup matches, while at the other end of the scale England have failed to score a try in six of their 16 Cup games.

• Scottish fullback Gavin Hastings is the highest scorer in the World Cup. The former captain amassed 227 points in his appearances over the first three tournaments.

Australian first five-eighth Michael Lynagh scored 195 points while New Zealand's Grant Fox is third on the list with 170. The only other player to have scored
more than 100 to date is Frenchman Thierry Lacroix.

• A ground now obsolete in terms of international rugby has hosted more World Cup matches than any other.

Concorde Oval in Sydney hosted six games during the inaugural 1987 tournament. It has now long been replaced, first by the Sydney Football Stadium and now Stadium Australia.

Eden Park, Murrayfield in Edinburgh, Durban's Kings Park, Ellis Park in Johannesburg and Pretoria's Loftus Versfeld have all hosted five Cup games.

• A total of 39 grounds have hosted World Cup matches over the first three tournaments.

Eleven grounds were used at the Australia-New Zealand hosted 1987 event, 19 were required for the British-French tournament four years later, and nine South African grounds staged games in 1995.

• The All Blacks 145-17 romp over Japan during the 1995 World Cup is easily the record winning margin in Cup history.

At the same tournament, Scotland beat the Ivory Coast 89-0 while the All Blacks are in third and fourth places as well on that table, for their 70-6 victory in the opening Cup match at Eden Park in 1987, and their 74-13 win over Fiji in Christchurch a few days later.

• Two of the three men to have controlled World Cup finals will again be officiating during the 1999 tournament.

Welshman Derek Bevan handled the 1991 final, in which Australia beat England at Twickenham, while Englishman Ed Morrison refereed South Africa's extra time win over the All Blacks in Johannesburg four years ago.

Australian Kerry Fitzgerald, who officiated at the inaugural final between New Zealand and France at Eden Park in 1987, has died.