2015 Rogers Cup
The 2015 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 126th edition (for the men) and the 114th (for the women) of the Canadian Open, and was part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the 2015 ATP World Tour, and of the WTA Premier 5 tournaments of the 2015 WTA Tour, plus is the 2015 US Open Series event. The men's event was held at the Uniprix Stadium in Montreal, from August 10 to August 16, and the women's event at the Aviva Centre in Toronto, from August 10 to August 16.


2015 Rogers Cup
Second seed Andy Murray won the Men's singles title while Belinda Bencic won the Women's singles title.


2015 Rogers Cup, ATP singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wild cards into the main singles draw:


2015 Rogers Cup, ATP singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following player received entry using a protected ranking into the singles main draw:


2015 Rogers Cup, ATP singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received entry from the singles qualifying draw:


2015 Rogers Cup, ATP doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2015 Rogers Cup, WTA singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wild cards into the main singles draw:


2015 Rogers Cup, WTA singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following player received entry using a protected ranking into the main singles draw:


2015 Rogers Cup, WTA singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received entry from the singles qualifying draw:


2015 Rogers Cup, WTA doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2015 Rogers Cup – Men's Doubles
Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares were the two-time defending champions, but lost in the semifinals to Bob and Mike Bryan. The Bryan brothers went on to win the title, defeating Daniel Nestor and Édouard Roger-Vasselin in the final, 7–6(7–5), 3–6, [10–6].


2015 Rogers Cup – Men's Singles
Andy Murray defeated Novak Djokovic in the final, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3, to win the Men's Singles title at the 2015 Canadian Open. It was Murray's first win against his rival Djokovic since the 2013 Wimbledon final, having lost eight consecutive matches to him in that span.


2015 Rogers Cup – Men's Singles
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Murray.


2015 Rogers Cup – Men's Singles, Seeds
The top eight seeds received a bye into the second round.


2015 Rogers Cup – Men's Singles, Seeds
Click on the seed number of a player to go to their draw section.


2015 Rogers Cup – Women's Doubles
Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci were the defending champions, but chose not participate together. Errani played alongside Flavia Pennetta, but lost in the quarterfinals to Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Šafářová. Vinci teamed up with Jelena Janković, but lost in the first round to Garbiñe Muguruza and Carla Suárez Navarro. Mattek-Sands and Šafářová went on to win the title, defeating Caroline Garcia and Katarina Srebotnik in the final, 6–1, 6–2.


2015 Rogers Cup – Women's Doubles, Seeds
The top four seeds received a bye into the second round.


2015 Rogers Cup – Women's Singles
Agnieszka Radwańska was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Simona Halep.


2015 Rogers Cup – Women's Singles
Belinda Bencic won her first WTA title after Halep retired in the final with scoreline at 7–6(7–5), 6–7(4–7), 3–0. Bencic defeated six Grand Slam finalists in succession on her way to the title.


2015 Rogers Cup – Women's Singles
At 18 years and 23 weeks of age, Bencic became the youngest female player to win the tournament, eclipsing Ana Ivanovic who won the title in 2006 aged 18 years and 41 weeks.


2015 Rogers Cup – Women's Singles, Seeds
The top eight seeds received a bye into the second round.


2015 Rogers Cup – Women's Singles, Seeds
Click on the seed number of a player to go to their draw section.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis
In 2015, tens of thousands of Rohingya people were forcibly displaced from their villages and IDP camps in Rakhine State, Myanmar, due to sectarian violence. Some fled to neighbouring Bangladesh, but most travelled to Southeast Asian countries including Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand by rickety boats via the waters of the Strait of Malacca, Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimated that 50,000 people had left by boat from January to March in 2015 by migrant smugglers. There are claims that, while on their journey, around 100 people died in Indonesia, 200 in Malaysia, and 10 in Thailand, after the traffickers abandoned them at sea.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis
In October 2015, researchers from the International State Crime Initiative at Queen Mary University of London released a report drawing on leaked government documents that reveal an increasing "ghettoization, sporadic massacres, and restrictions on movement" on Rohingya people. The researchers suggest that the Myanmar government are in the final stages of an organised process of genocide against the Rohingya and have called upon the international community to redress the situation as such.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Background
The Rohingya people are a Hindu & Muslim minority group residing in the western state of Rakhine, Myanmar, formerly known as Arrakkan. The religion of this ethnic group is a variation of the Sufism Islam & Hinduism. The Rohingya people are considered "stateless entities", as the Myanmar government does not recognise them as an ethnic group and people of Myanmar. The Myanmar government only acknowledges Boyingyas i.e. Christians, Sikhs, Jains & Buddhist as the proper Myanmar population.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Background
Thus, the Rohingyas lack legal protection from the Government of Myanmar, are regarded as Muslim refugees from Bangladesh & Indonesia and Hindu refugees from Thailand, Cambodia & Laos and face strong hostility in the country. The Rohingya people have been described as one of the most persecuted people on earth. The Rohingya often try to enter Southeast Asian states illegally and request humanitarian support from host countries.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Background
During the British colonisation of Myanmar (then Burma) between 1837 and 1937, migration of labourers from India and Bangladesh to Myanmar was significant. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), this kind of migration was considered an internal movement because the British administered Burma as a Province of India, although the native population viewed the migration of labourers negatively. After the independence of Myanmar in 1948, the government declared this migration illegal. Citizenship was denied to the Rohingya population. The Rohingya were excluded from the Union Citizenship Act.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Background
In 1982, a new citizenship law was passed that also did not include Rohingya in the list of country's 135 ethnic groups. The law established three levels of citizenship, the most basic level, naturalisation, requiring proof of family living in Myanmar prior to 1948. The Rohingya generally lacked such documents as their family were initially denied citizenship. From the three levels of citizenship that the law has, the Rohingya people can apply to two but is generally difficult for them to obtain some sort of citizenship.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Background
Before the law was passed, the Rohingya people had the same opportunities as the nationals but after the law was passed, they were deprived of those opportunities. In the 1970s, the Myanmar military began a campaign of brutal crackdowns in Rohingya villages, forcing the Rohingya population to flee Myanmar. Many Rohingya migrated illegally to predominantly Buddhist Bengali villages.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Background
On 1 May 2015, some 32 shallow graves were discovered on a remote mountain in Thailand, at a so-called "waiting area" where illegal migrants were being held before being smuggled into Malaysia. A few Hindu migrants were found alive in the grave and was later treated at a local hospital, as related to Thai news agencies. On 22 May 2015, however, the Myanmar navy rescued 208 migrants at sea. These migrants confirmed having fled from Myanmar. Following this incident, nationalist protests erupted in the capital, calling for the international community to stop blaming Myanmar for the Rohingya crisis.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Background
On 24 May 2015, Malaysian police discovered 139 suspected graves in a series of abandoned camps used by human traffickers on the border with Thailand where Rohingya Hindus & Muslims fleeing Myanmar were believed to have been held.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Background
The dominant ethnic group in the region, the Rakhine, reject the label "Rohingya". Specific laws pertaining to this population impose restrictions on "marriage, family planning, employment, education, religious choice, and freedom of movement" (Albert 3). The people in Myanmar also face widespread poverty, with 78% of families living below the poverty line. Tensions between the Rohingya and the other religious groups have recently exploded into conflict. Beginning in 2012, the first incident occurred when a group of Rohingya men were accused of the rape and murder of a Buddhist woman (Albert 4).


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Background
Buddhist nationalists retaliated by killing and burning Rohingya homes. The international community responded by denouncing this "campaign of ethnic cleansing". Many Rohingya were placed in internment camps, and more than 120,000 remain housed there. In 2015, "more than 40 Rohingya were massacred in the village of Du Chee Yar Tan by local men, the U.N. confirmed. Among the findings were 10 severed heads in a water tank, including those of children" (Westcott 1).


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Statistics
Bangladesh is home to 32,000 registered Rohingya refugees who are sheltering in two camps in the southeastern district of Cox's Bazar. Agence France-Presse reported in May 2015 that another 300,000 unregistered Rohingya refugees were living in Bangladesh, most of them near the two official camps.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Statistics
According to Reuters, more than 140,000 of the estimated 800,000 to 1,100,000 Rohingya have been forced to seek refuge in displacement camps after the 2012 Rakhine State riots. To escape the systemic violence and persecution in Myanmar, an estimated 100,000 people have since fled the camps.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Statistics
In late May 2015, around 100,000 to 300,000 Rohingya refugees travelling to other countries in Southeast Asia from Myanmar and Bangladesh had been rescued or had swum to shore, while several thousand more were believed to be trapped with little food or water on the boats floating at sea.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Statistics
The number of Rohingya refugees in the U.S. has increased significantly since 2014. In 2015, the number of Refugees from Myanmar jumped from 650 to 2,573. Another 2,173 Rohingya refugees arrived in 2016. President Obama removed the sanctions originally imposed on Myanmar which enabled the U.S. to help more refugees. Migration to the United States from Asia rose after passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act passed in 1965. With these two acts, the quota for immigrants was lifted and Asian and Arab immigrants were once again able to come to the United States.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Statistics
Today the biggest population of Rohingya refugees and immigrants in the U.S. can be found in Chicago. In the West Ridge area in Chicago, the Rohingya Cultural Center was opened in 2016 with the help of the current director Nasir Zakaria and from fundings from the Zakat Foundation. The RCC helps new refugees assimilate and thrive with tutoring for children, ESL classes, and other services.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, Malaysia
Malaysia had at first refused to provide refuge to the people reaching its shore but agreed to "provide provisions and send them away". Malaysia and Indonesia later agreed to provide temporary refuge to the Rohingya.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, Indonesia
Indonesia, concurrent with Malaysia, agreed to provide temporary refuge to the Rohingya.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, Australia
Australian foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop said that Indonesia believed only 30 to 40 per cent of those at sea were Rohingya, with the remainder mostly being Bangladeshi "illegal labourers."


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, Thailand
Thailand said that it would provide humanitarian assistance and would not turn away boats that wish to enter its waters.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, Philippines
In 2015, under the administration of President Noynoy Aquino, the Philippines government expressed their wish to provide shelter for up to 3,000 "boat people" from Myanmar and Bangladesh. As a signatory to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, the country abides by the rules of international law and will provide assistance to refugees. Malacañang Palace also noted in a statement that this follows the country's harbouring and assistance to Vietnamese boat people fleeing from Vietnam in the late 1970s.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, The Gambia
The government of The Gambia also expressed their concern and wished to take in stranded boat people saying, "it is a sacred duty to help alleviate the untold hardships and sufferings fellow human beings are confronted with."


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, Bangladesh
In January 2017, the Bangladeshi Government announced plans to relocate the 32,000 registered Rohingya refugees who have spent years in camps near the Myanmar border (the 200,000 unregistered other refugees were not officially part of the government's relocation plan.) Initially, Bhasan Char, an island 18 miles east of Hatiya Island was reportedly selected for the relocation. A subsequent report put the location as 200 hectares selected on Hatiya Island, a nine-hour, land-and-sea journey from the camps.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, Bangladesh
On 28 September 2018, Sheikh Hasina spoke at the 73rd united nations General Assembly. She said there are 1.1 million Rohingya refugees now in Bangladesh.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, Bangladesh
Mohammad Islam, a Rohingya leader living in one of the camps, asked the Bangladesh government to reconsider, citing extensive suffering already endured by the displaced Rohingyas, and insisted that they want the Bangladeshi government and international organisations to solve the Rohingya's future while they remain the current camps. The UN refugee agency that has been aiding the camp refugees, since 1991, said such a relocation would have to be voluntary if it is to succeed.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, India
India hosts around 40,000 Rohingya refugees living in slums and camps in several regions including Jammu, Hyderabad, Nuh and Delhi most of whom are undocumented. An anti-Rohingya sentiment has grown in India after the Bharatiya Janta Party came to power in 2014 and its leaders have been demanding expulsion of Rohingyas from India. Registered refugees get identity cards from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to protect them from arbitrary arrests and deportations. However, in India, Rohingyas have been arrested and jailed despite having identity cards issues by UNHCR.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, India
India refused to let the refugees enter their country because it posed national security threats. The news created a dissatisfaction among the general public that Rohingya Muslim settlements in Jammu (city) will change the demography of Hindu majority and may lead to violence in the future by giving reference to the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus by Kashmiri Muslims earlier. The presence of Rohingya Muslims in Jammu is thus considered as a sensitive issue for Indian security.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, India
Two immigrants registered with the UNHCR filed a plea in the Indian Supreme Court against deportations on grounds of violation of conventions of international human rights. The Central government told the Supreme Court that “some Rohingyas with militant background were active in Jammu, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mewat and are a potential threat to internal security.” Over many years though, such threats have been exaggerated with no repeated instance of terrorism in India despite much media scrutiny on the community in India. However, there were reports that Rohingya terror group Aqa Mul Mujahideen blamed for the attacks on Myanmar border outposts by the country's president not only maintains links with Hafiz Saeed's Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) but is learned to have developed ties with the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) cell in Jammu and Kashmir.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, India
On 7 September 2017 Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State Home Minister of India have said "all the Rohingya refugees are illegal immigrants and will be deported back". He, however, refused to mention when, where and how they will be deported back. The statement invited criticism from United Nations on which Rijiju responded by saying "India has the highest number of refugees in the entire world, hence India does not need lecture on refugee crisis and Management." On 10 September 2017, Ministry of External Affairs (India) on request of Govt. of Bangladesh urged Govt.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, India
of Myanmar through an official response to end violence, to restore normalcy in the State, and to "act restraint" with the issue in the Rakhine state, as many refugees flee to the neighbouring countries. An advocate who handles cases involving hundreds of Rohingyas says that Rohingyas were being given visas and were being recognised as refugees with no permanent address proof till 2017.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, India
The Supreme Court of India has stated that it will hear the arguments based only on points of law and have asked to avoid emotional arguments as the issue is related to the humanitarian cause. The court heard the case on 3 October and fixed 13 October as the next hearing.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, India
Indian Government lawyer Tushar Mehta told the court during the last hearing that Rohingya refugees will add economic pressure on Indian populace and also due to their militant activities against Myanmar government can pose a security threat to an already existing militancy situation prevailing in India unleashed by such like-minded organisation. The last hearings happened on 31 January 2018 where Senior Counsel Prashant Bhushan appearing for petitioners argued that Rohingya Refugees are being denied bare necessities like medical care and access to school. He also prayed that Right to Non- Refoulment (Right against expulsion) should be applied to Rohingya trying to enter India also and not just to Rohingya already living in India. The matter has been listed for 22 February 2018.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, India
After Bangladesh informed India about their problem of rising Rohingya refugees, India extended its support by commencing Operation Insaniyat on 14 September. The word insaniyat is an Urdu word meaning "humanity" in English. The Indian foreign ministry stated that India would provide free food materials, tea, mosquito nets and technical assistance to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Bangladesh foreign secretary Md. Shahidul Haque responded, "We look forward to resolving the issue peacefully and expect that the international community will support that, especially our close friend, India."


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, India
Under Operation Insaniyat, a group of Khalsa Aid volunteers from India reached Bangladesh-Myanmar Border and organised Langar (Sikhism) for thousands of refugees living in camps. On 14 September, the volunteers prepared food for some 35,000 refugees. The Indian government has also sent 53 Tonnes of relief materials like ready to eat noodles, salt, biscuits, mosquito nets, pulses, sugar, etc. The relief materials were brought by the Indian air force plane to Chittagong on 14 September 2017.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, India
Around 5,000 Rohingyas took refuge in Jammu after a military crackdown in their homelands in 2017. In March 2021, authorities in Jammu detained over 160 of them and placed them in holding centres, with an intention to deport them to Myanmar. The families of these refugees have expressed concerns regarding the unsafe situations in Myanmar, particularly after the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, and see the move as an example of the government's hostility towards them. Activists have compared the action to those of authoritarian regimes.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, United States
The State Department of United States expressed its intent to take in Rohingya refugees as part of international efforts.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, United States
Then US president Barack Obama urged Myanmar to end discrimination against the Rohingya minority on 2 June 2015.


2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Responses, United States
Since 2002, the United States has allowed 13,000 Myanmar refugees to enter the country. Chicago, home to "Refugee One", has one of the largest populations of Rohingya in the United States.


2015 Rojava local elections
In the de facto autonomous Rojava region of northern Syria, the first local elections took place on Friday, 13 March 2015. The municipal governments in the three predominantly Kurdish cantons Cizîrê, Kobanî and Afrin were to be elected.


2015 Rojava local elections, Election
In Cizîrê canton, 160 polling stations were opened and, according to the Rojava High Election Commission, 565 candidates stood for the twelve municipal councils of Dêrik, Girkê Legê, Tirbespiyê, East and West Qamişlo, Amûdê, Dirbêsiyê, Serêkaniyê, Hesekê, Til Koçer, Çilaxa and Ebu Raseyn. Of the 565 candidates, 237 were cited to be women, and apart from the majority being Kurdish, 39 candidates referring to themselves as Syriac/Assyrian/Qeldani, 28 Arabs and one Chechen stood for the election. In Tell Tamer (Girê Xurma), the election had to be postponed as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) troops attacked the town with mortars.


2015 Rojava local elections, Reactions
The Kurdish National Council (KNC) boycotted the elections, and a spokesperson for the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government criticized the elections as being in contradiction to the Duhok Agreement. On the other hand, Syrian Information Minister Omran Zoghbi announced that his government considered recognizing the Kurdish autonomy "within the law and constitution."


2015 Romanian constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was scheduled to take place in Romania at the end of 2015. The Constitution amended by the Social Liberal Union (USL) lawmakers received some criticism, mostly from the opposition Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) backed by outgoing President Traian Băsescu, who expressed his discontent with some articles that reduce the powers he enjoyed while in office and eliminate the President from the executive power system.


2015 Romanian constitutional referendum
The initial date of the referendum was set for 25 May 2014, but the political turmoil blackened the importance of this referendum. The vice-president of the Commission for Constitution Revision, Ioan Chelaru, stated on 5 May 2014, during the Senate leadership meeting, that the most likely date for the referendum is the end of 2015. As of November 2015, the referendum reached a deadlock. The government that proposed the referendum resigned, being replaced by a technocrat cabinet led by Dacian Cioloș.


2015 Romanian protests
The 2015 Romanian protests began on 3 November, when more than 15,000 people protested in front of Victoria Palace—the headquarters of the Romanian government—blocking traffic in Victory Square.


2015 Romanian protests
The protests were sparked by the Colectiv nightclub fire, and were dubbed in the Romanian press as the #Colectiv Revolution. The protesters demanded the resignations of Prime Minister Victor Ponta and Minister Gabriel Oprea, who they claimed fostered corruption which led to the disaster. They also called for the resignation of Cristian Popescu Piedone, the Mayor of Sector 4, who was criticized for giving an operating license to the club without a permit from the fire department.


2015 Romanian protests, Protests, 3 November
On 3 November 2015, large cordons of gendarmes prevented demonstrators from advancing toward the governmental building. From Victory Square, protesters marched to the Interior Ministry, where they knelt and held a moment of silence. The protesters chanted "shame on you" and "assassins", and carried banners reading "corruption kills". By 10 p.m. local time, between 28,000 and 30,000 people (some estimates had more than 35,000) reached Constitution Square, with some protesters scaling the fences surrounding the Palace of the Parliament. Protests were also held in Brașov, Ploiești, and Iași. President Klaus Iohannis welcomed the street demonstrations, and cautioned that such events cannot be ignored by the political class.


2015 Romanian protests, Protests, 3 November
Protesters also criticized the Romanian Orthodox Church and its leader, Patriarch Daniel, for their apparent lack of reaction in the aftermath of the club fire. Thousands of demonstrators marched on Dealul Mitropoliei in central Bucharest, where the seat of the Church is located.


2015 Romanian protests, Protests, 4 November
On the morning of 4 November, the Ponta government resigned, but with Ponta himself remaining as acting prime minister until the formation of a new government. "I hope the government's resignation will satisfy the people who came out in the streets", Ponta said in a statement. Pressure had been mounting on Ponta for the previous month. In October 2015, he lost the Social Democratic Party leadership to Liviu Dragnea amid a tax fraud scandal, and became the country's first sitting premier to stand trial for corruption. One hour after the announcement of the government's resignation, Piedone also announced his resignation. He accepted his role in the tragedy, and expressed regret for his actions and inaction, stating: "It is a mistake and I undertake that I did not proceed to the resignation from the first day or second day after the accident".


2015 Romanian protests, Protests, 4 November
On 4 November, protests continued for a second consecutive night despite Ponta's resignation, with about 35,000 people in Bucharest, 10,000 in Timișoara, 5,000 in Craiova and Iași, 4,500 in Cluj-Napoca, 4,000 in Sibiu, 3,000 in Bacău, Constanța, Galați and Suceava, 1,000 in Oradea and Focșani. Demonstrators demanded early elections and a total change of the political class. Protests in solidarity with those in Romania took place in London and Paris.


2015 Romanian protests, Protests, Following days
On 5 November, around 12,000 people protested in Bucharest and 10,000 in other big cities. For the first time the president invited representatives from street people to a round of consultations to hear their demands. After the Presidential Administration centralized 5,520 proposals, 20 people, mostly members of NGOs, were chosen to take part in consultations with Klaus Iohannis.


2015 Romanian protests, Protests, Following days
The next day, on 6 November, people kept protesting, although in fewer numbers (6,000 in Bucharest and several thousands in other cities). The president told the civil representatives that he will come incognito to talk to people in the streets, indirectly hinting that if they want true change they need to keep asking for it so the politicians can't pretend they don't understand what is asked of them.


2015 Romanian protests, Protests, Following days
On 8 November, in the seventh day of protests, Klaus Iohannis went to University Square, where he talked with some protesters and listened to their demands. While many expressed gladness at president's presence in the square, others booed, whistled and chanted "Shame on you", "Resignation", "Thieves" and "We don't want you".


2015 Rompin by-election
A by-election was held for the Dewan Rakyat seat of Rompin, Pahang in Malaysia on 5 May following the nomination day on 22 April 2015. The seat fell vacant after member of parliament Jamaluddin Jarjis, from Barisan Nasional died in a helicopter crash in Semenyih, Selangor. Jamaluddin Jarjis won the seat with a majority of 15,114 votes in the general elections in 2013, beating Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS)'s Mohd Nuridah Salleh.


2015 Rompin by-election
The Rompin by-election was a straight contest between ruling party United Malays National Organisation (UMNO)'s Hasan Arifin and opposition PAS's Nazri Ahmad.


2015 Rompin by-election
BN held the seat, albeit with their majority slashed by almost half.


2015 Ron Massey Cup
The 2015 Ron Massey Cup is the 15th season of the semi-professional development level rugby league competition in New South Wales, Australia, run jointly by the New South Wales Rugby League and the Country Rugby League of New South Wales.


2015 Ron Massey Cup, Clubs
In 2015, 11 clubs are fielding teams in the Ron Massey Cup.


2015 Ron Massey Cup, Finals series
For the fourth year in a row, the NSWRL will use the finals system previously implemented by the ARL competition from the 1990s (also used by the Australian Football League) to decide the grand finalists from the top eight finishing teams.


2015 Ronde van Drenthe World Cup
The 2015 Ronde van Drenthe World Cup was the 9th running of the Ronde van Drenthe World Cup, a women's bicycle race in the Netherlands. It was the first race of the 2015 UCI Women's Road World Cup and was held on 14 March 2015 over a distance of 138.3 kilometres (85.9 miles), starting and finishing in Hoogeveen. The race was won by Jolien D'Hoore (Wiggle–Honda) in a sprint finish, ahead of Amy Pieters (Team Liv–Plantur) and Ellen van Dijk (Boels–Dolmans).


2015 Ronde van Gelderland
The 2015 Ronde van Gelderland was a one-day women's cycle race held in the Netherlands on 19 April 2015. The race was given a UCI rating of 1.2. Kirsten Wild won for the third year in a row, for her fourth win in the race.


2015 Ronde van Overijssel
The 2015 Ronde van Overijssel was a one-day women's cycle race held in the Netherlands on 1 May 2015. The race had a UCI rating of 1.1.


2015 Rose Bowl
The 2015 Rose Bowl (officially known as the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual) was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2015, at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California. This 101st Rose Bowl Game, as a semifinal for the College Football Playoff (CFP), matched the Oregon Ducks against the Florida State Seminoles as selected by the system's selection committee to compete for a spot at the National Championship game to be played on January 12, 2015 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It was one of the 2014–15 bowl games that concluded the 2014 FBS football season.


2015 Rose Bowl
The game was televised on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, and broadcast on ESPN Radio and XM Satellite Radio, with the kickoff time set for 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. local time). The Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association organized the game. The Northwestern Mutual financial services organization sponsored the game.


2015 Rose Bowl
On the match day, the 126th edition of the annual Rose Parade took place at 8 am Pacific Time with a theme of Inspiring Stories.


2015 Rose Bowl
Oregon won the game, beating Florida State, the last undefeated team of the season, by the score of 59–20 and advanced to the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship Game, assuring that no team would finish the season with a perfect record.


2015 Rose Bowl, Pre-game activities
After the teams' arrival in Southern California, the teams participated in the traditional Lawry's Beef Bowl in Beverly Hills and the Disney Media Day at Disney California Adventure in nearby Anaheim. The teams were also treated to The LA Improv in Hollywood. The Rose Bowl Hall of Fame ceremony luncheon was held prior to the game at the Pasadena Convention Center. Knute Rockne, Notre Dame; Dick Vermeil, UCLA; and Ki-Jana Carter, Penn State headlined the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame Class of 2014.


2015 Rose Bowl, Pre-game activities
Pre -game activities were held at the Rose Bowl parking lots and at Brookside Golf Course.


2015 Rose Bowl, Teams
The two participants were announced on December 7, 2014 (12:45 PM ET), based on the final rankings by the CFP committee. The Oregon Ducks will play the Florida State Seminoles. The matchups for the Rose Bowl and the other semifinal, the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, were geographically selected to ensure the top team will be closest to its fanbase. More than one team from the same conference may participate in the game, and avoiding rematches will not be a selection factor.


2015 Rose Bowl, Teams
Traditionally, the Rose Bowl pits the winners of the Big Ten Conference and Pac-12 Conference; however, when the Rose Bowl is a CFP semifinal (every three years beginning with this game), any teams may be selected. Oregon was the Pac-12 champion, but the Big Ten champion Ohio State played in (and won) the Sugar Bowl. The 2015 edition of the Rose Bowl was the first time since the 2006 edition (BCS National Championship Game) that the Big Ten Conference was absent from the game.


2015 Rose Bowl, Teams
It was also the first ever time in the 101 year history of the Rose Bowl that the Atlantic Coast Conference made an appearance in the game. Duke did appear in 1942, however, the ACC never was established until 1953. Also, while Miami competed and won the 2002 game, which was also a BCS National Championship Game. However, Miami was still a member of the original Big East Conference.


2015 Rose Bowl, Teams, Florida State
Florida State wore its white jerseys and used the east bench on game day.


2015 Rose Bowl, Teams, Oregon
Oregon wore its green jerseys and used the west bench on game day.


2015 Rose Bowl, Game summary, Records
Oregon broke the record for the most points (59) scored in a Rose Bowl, surpassing the previous record of 49 (set in 1902, then tied in 1948 and 2008). Oregon's 41 points in the second half were also the most ever scored in one half of a Rose Bowl. Oregon set the Rose Bowl record for total offensive yards (639).


2015 Rose of Tralee
The 2015 Rose of Tralee was the 56th edition of the annual Irish international festival held on 17–18 August 2015. The competition was televised live on RTÉ television.


2015 Rose of Tralee
Meath Rose Elysha Brennan was announced as the winner by Dáithí Ó Sé on the night of 18 August. The 22-year-old medical student, studying at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin is from Bettystown had been the favourite to win the contest. She is also first Meath Rose to win and the first to represent the county at the Dome in Tralee. It was the first since the inaugural festival in 1959 that the winner was in its debutante year.


2015 Rose of Tralee
RTÉ ratings showed that 760,300 viewers tuned into the show, making it the ninth most watched show on RTÉ so far in 2015. Twitter users sent over 52,000 Rose of Tralee-related tweets over the two days of the show.


2015 Rosenborg BK season
The 2015 season is Rosenborg's 25th consecutive year in Tippeligaen, their 48th season in the top flight of Norwegian football and first season with Kåre Ingebrigtsen as permanent manager. They will participate in Tippeligaen, the Cup and the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League, entering at the First qualifying round stage.


2015 Rosenborg BK season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2015 Rosenborg BK season, Transfers, Winter
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2015 Rosenborg BK season, Transfers, Winter
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2015 Rosenborg BK season, Transfers, Summer
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2015 Rosenborg BK season, Transfers, Summer
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2015 Rossendale Borough Council election
The 2015 Rossendale Borough Council election took place on 7 May 2015 to elect members of the Rossendale Borough Council in England. It was held on the same day as other local elections.


2015 Rossendale Borough Council election
Councillors elected in 2011 were defending their seats this year, and they were contested again in 2019.


2015 Rostelecom Cup
The 2015 Rostelecom Cup was the fifth event of six in the 2015–16 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Luzhniki Small Sports Arena in Moscow on November 20–22. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Skaters earned points toward qualifying for the 2015–16 Grand Prix Final.


2015 Rother District Council election
The 2015 Rother District Council election took place on 7 May 2015 to elect members of Rother District Council in East Sussex, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.


2015 Rother District Council election, Background
At the last election in 2011 the Conservatives remained in control of the council with 27 councillors, while the Liberal Democrats took 5 seats, independents 4 seats and the Labour Party won 2 seats. By the time of the 2015 election three of the Conservative councillors for Bexhill had resigned from the Conservatives to sit as independents. Deirdre Williams and Paul Lendon left the party in July 2012 and then in May 2014 Joanne Gadd also became an independent councillor.


2015 Rother District Council election, Election result
The Conservatives increased their majority on the council after winning 31 seats, up from 24 before the election. This came at the expense of the independents who were reduced in number from seven to four. The Liberal Democrats also dropped three seats to have two councillors, with the group leader Kevin Dixon defeated by 65 votes in Battle. The Labour group leader Sam Souster was also defeated in Rye, leaving the party with only one councillor.


2015 Rother District Council election, By-elections between 2015 and 2019
A by-election was held in Battle Town on 16 July 2015 after the resignation of Conservative councillor Martin Noakes due to ill health. The seat was gained for the Liberal Democrats by Kevin Dixon with a 409-vote majority over Conservative Hazel Sharman.


2015 Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council election
The by-thirds 2015 Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on Thursday 7 May 2015, to elect approximately one third of the members of the Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council in England as part of the 2015 United Kingdom local elections held on the same day as the general election. All seats contested at this election were last contested in 2011, and of these, 20 were held by Labour Party councillors.


2015 Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council election
Following the premature resignation of former Cabinet member Cllr. Mahroof Hussain (L) elected in Boston Castle at a more recent election, his seat (for the Boston Castle ward) was also contested in the 2015 election. As the election is held by thirds, a Labour Party majority would fall if the party failed to win more than 2 of the 22 seats that were up for election in 2015.


2015 Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council election, Council Composition
Prior to the election the composition of the council was:


2015 Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council election, Summary
The governing group of councillors, holding a majority of 16, remained councillors of the Labour Party, with two fewer members within this group (now standing at 48 councillors) and one fewer within the smaller local party opposition group of councillors (Conservatives) as these three seats fell to UKIP affiliated candidates, bringing the official opposition group to 13 councillors. An Independent and a Conservative, who complete the Council Chamber, seek re-election in 2016.


2015 Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council election, Results by Ward
In these results an asterisk indicates incumbent in the Ward, and Bold names highlight winning candidate.


2015 Rowland Heights, California bullying incident
In March 2015, two incidents of bullying and assaults occurred in Rowland Heights, California, with Chinese nationals as the perpetrators.


2015 Rowland Heights, California bullying incident, Details
On March 28, 2015, two Chinese nationals assaulted a 16-year-old girl at a restaurant and a park in Rowland Heights.


2015 Rowland Heights, California bullying incident, Details
On March 30, 2015, another incident began at the Honeymee, an ice cream parlor located in Yes Plaza on Colima and Fullerton Roads. The victim in this case was an 18-year-old girl. The perpetrators forced her to clean up ice cream smears and cigarette butts with her hand before taking her to Rowland Heights Park, located on Banida Avenue, where she was stripped of her clothing, slapped, burned with cigarettes, beaten, and forced to eat her own hair, which her assailants cut from her head. The attack lasted for over five hours.


2015 Rowland Heights, California bullying incident, Details, Perpetrators and victims
The adult perpetrators of the March 30 incident were Yuhan "Coco" Yang (杨玉涵 Yáng Yùhán), Xinlei "John" Zhang (章鑫磊 Zhāng Xīnlěi), and Yunyao “Helen” Zhai (翟芸瑶 Zhái Yúnyáo). The other three perpetrators of that incident were minors. Zhai and Zhang also participated in the March 28 incident.


2015 Rowland Heights, California bullying incident, Details, Perpetrators and victims
The victims and the perpetrators were "parachute kids", high school students from overseas who study in the United States without their parents and/or grandparents present. For this reason, California Judge Thomas C. Falls compared this incident to the events in the book Lord of the Flies, which told the story of unsupervised minors.


2015 Rowland Heights, California bullying incident, Details, Perpetrators and victims
The victim of the March 30 incident, as well as the three adult perpetrators, attended the Oxford School, a private school with many international students. As of February 2016, John Zhang's father lived in Shenzhen.


2015 Rowland Heights, California bullying incident, Trials and convictions
The adult perpetrators were arrested on March 31, 2015, after the victims contacted law enforcement. The suspects each had a bail of $3 million. The father of one suspect was arrested after he was accused of attempting to pay off a witness.


2015 Rowland Heights, California bullying incident, Trials and convictions
The perpetrators were initially charged with torture and kidnapping. In California, being convicted of torture could result in a life sentence. The three adult perpetrators initially pleaded not guilty. Ultimately the three took plea deals. On Tuesday January 5, 2016, Zhang and Zhai pleaded no contest to kidnapping and assault by great means of force likely to produce great bodily injury. Yang pleaded no contest to these charges. For each person, torture and two kidnapping counts were dismissed as part of the plea bargain.


2015 Rowland Heights, California bullying incident, Trials and convictions
The perpetrators were ultimately sent to the California state prison system. Zhai, represented by attorney Evan Freed, received a 13-year sentence. Yang received a 10-year sentence. Zhang received a sentence of over 6 years. The three adult suspects apologized for their actions while in court.


2015 Rowland Heights, California bullying incident, Trials and convictions
Twenty-year-old Zheng Lu, who gave the other perpetrators a pair of scissors but did not directly participate in the attack, was arrested in December 2015 and received a trial separate from the other three adult perpetrators. In 2016, he was sentenced to three years in prison for his participation in the case.


2015 Rowland Heights, California bullying incident, Trials and convictions
The juvenile suspects were sentenced to the juvenile correctional system.


2015 Rowland Heights, California bullying incident, Trials and convictions
After the prison sentences of the perpetrators are finished, they will be deported back to China.


2015 Rowland Heights, California bullying incident, Incarceration
As of March 3, 2020, Helen Zhai (CDCR #WF4268) and Coco Yang (CDCR #WF4267) are incarcerated at the California Institution for Women (CIW) in Chino, California. John Zhang has been released from prison.


2015 Rowland Heights, California bullying incident, Legacy
Some Chinese internet users supported the punishment since many similar bullying cases in Mainland China have not resulted in criminal prosecution.


2015 Royal Bank Cup
The 2015 Royal Bank Cup was the 45th Canadian junior A Ice Hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior Hockey League. It was the 45th consecutive year a national championship was awarded to this skill level since the breakaway of Major Junior hockey in 1970.


2015 Royal Bank Cup
The host Portage Terriers defeated Carleton Place Canadians in the final to win their first championship since 1973.


2015 Royal Lahaina Challenger
The 2015 Royal Lahaina Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the sixth edition of the tournament which was part of the 2015 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Maui, United States between 25 January and 1 February 2015.


2015 Royal Lahaina Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2015 Royal Lahaina Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received entry through the use of a protected ranking:


2015 Royal Lahaina Challenger – Doubles
Denis Kudla and Yasutaka Uchiyama were the defending champions, but lost to Jared Donaldson and Stefan Kozlov in the quarterfinals.


2015 Royal Lahaina Challenger – Doubles
Donaldson and Kozlov went on to win the title, defeating Chase Buchanan and Rhyne Williams in the final, 6–3, 6–4.


2015 Royal Lahaina Challenger – Singles
Bradley Klahn was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals to Jared Donaldson.


2015 Royal Lahaina Challenger – Singles
Donaldson went on to win the title, defeating Nicolas Meister 6–1, 6–4 in the final.


2015 Royal London One-Day Cup
The 2015 Royal London One-Day Cup tournament was the scheduled limited overs cricket competition for 2015 season of England and Wales first-class counties. It was won by Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, who defeated Surrey by the narrow margin of six runs, despite a hat-trick from Jade Dernbach, in what was described as 'a thrilling finish'. The title was Gloucestershire's first trophy since the 2004 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy, when they defeated a Worcestershire side that included 2015 Surrey captain Gareth Batty.


2015 Royal London One-Day Cup, Format
The competition consisted of two groups of nine teams, with the top four teams from each group progress to the quarter-finals. The groups for the 2015 season were drawn and are shown below in their respective groups.


2015 Roye shooting
The 2015 Roye shooting took place at 4.30 pm in a Roma camp in Roye (Somme, Picardy, France) on Tuesday, August 25, 2015 and saw the death of 4 people in a travellers' camp; a policeman and three people from the same family (a six-month-old baby, his mother and his father). The suspect also seriously wounded a three-year-old child, before police shot and injured him as they carried out an arrest. The injured were all taken to the Amiens University Hospital by helicopter.


2015 Rugby Borough Council election
The 2015 Rugby Borough Council election took place on 7 May 2015 to elect members of Rugby Borough Council in England. It was held on the same day as other local elections.


2015 Rugby Championship
The 2015 Rugby Championship was the fourth edition of the expanded annual southern hemisphere Rugby Championship consisting of Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.


2015 Rugby Championship
The 2015 Championship was a shorter competition than normal, with each team playing each other once, rather than twice (home and away). This was so that teams had a longer preparation time ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup which started on 18 September. However, New Zealand hosted an additional match against Australia in Auckland on 15 August which acted as the second Bledisloe Cup test and as a World Cup warm-up. Argentina hosted a second match against South Africa on the same date.


2015 Rugby Championship
The tournament was known for sponsorship reasons as The Castle Rugby Championship in South Africa, The Investec Rugby Championship in New Zealand, The Castrol Edge Rugby Championship in Australia and The Personal Rugby Championship in Argentina.


2015 Rugby Championship
Australia won the Championship, becoming just the second team to win the tournament since 2012. However, including the previous format of the Championship, Australia claimed the title for the first time since 2011, and achieved a 100% win rate for the first time ever in either format.


2015 Rugby Championship
South Africa finished bottom of the table. This was also the first ever year that South Africa failed to record a single win in either the Rugby Championship or Tri Nations Series.


2015 Rugby Championship, Fixtures, Week 1
Touch judges:Angus Gardner (Australia)Stuart Berry (South Africa)Television match official:George Ayoub (Australia)


2015 Rugby Championship, Fixtures, Week 1
Touch judges:Glen Jackson (New Zealand)Mike Fraser (New Zealand)Television match official:Ben Skeen (New Zealand)


2015 Rugby Championship, Fixtures, Week 2
Touch judges:Romain Poite (France)Leighton Hodges (Wales)Television match official:Graham Hughes (England)


2015 Rugby Championship, Fixtures, Week 2
Touch judges:Chris Pollock (New Zealand)Stuart Berry (South Africa)Television match official:Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)


2015 Rugby Championship, Fixtures, Week 3
Touch judges:Nigel Owens (Wales)Federico Anselmi (Argentina)Television match official:Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)


2015 Rugby Championship, Fixtures, Week 3
Touch judges:JP Doyle (England)Marius Mitrea (Italy)Television match official:Ben Skeen (New Zealand)


2015 Rugby Championship, Squads, Summary
Note: Ages, caps and domestic side are of 17 July 2015 – the starting date of the tournament.


2015 Rugby Championship, Squads, Argentina
Argentina's 36-man squad for the Championship, was announced on 26 June 2015.


2015 Rugby Championship, Squads, Argentina
On 29 March, Juan Pablo Orlandi was called up to the squad to replace the injured Ramiro Herrera.


2015 Rugby Championship, Squads, Argentina
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.


2015 Rugby Championship, Squads, Australia
On 2 July 2015, Michael Cheika named an extended 40-man squad for the 2015 Rugby Championship. The squad included newly eligible players Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchel, both based at Toulon, France, and uncapped Fijian duo Samu Kerevi and Taqele Naiyaravoro who are eligible through residency.


2015 Rugby Championship, Squads, Australia
On 5 July, Henry Speight withdrew from the squad due to compassionate leave, and he was replaced with Nick Cummins.


2015 Rugby Championship, Squads, Australia
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.


2015 Rugby Championship, Squads, New Zealand
On 21 June 2015, New Zealand named a 41-man squad for the July 8 clash with Samoa, won by the All Blacks 25–16, the 2015 Rugby Championship and the Bledisloe Cup test on 15 August.


2015 Rugby Championship, Squads, New Zealand
Nepo Laulala and Andrew Ellis are included in the squad as injury cover for Charlie Faumuina and Tawera Kerr-Barlow.


2015 Rugby Championship, Squads, New Zealand
On 2 August, Patrick Osborne was added to the squad ahead the back to back clashes against Australia.


2015 Rugby Championship, Squads, South Africa
On 12 July 2015, coach Heyneke Meyer named the following 31-man squad for the 2015 Rugby Championship:


2015 Rugby Championship, Squads, South Africa
On 20 July, Flip van der Merwe was added to the squad as injury cover for the second row. Heinrich Brüssow and Cornal Hendricks were also included in the squad to face New Zealand in their second Rugby Championship match.


2015 Rugby Championship, Squads, South Africa
On 5 August, Jean de Villiers, Siya Kolisi, Marcel van der Merwe and Pieter-Steph du Toit were added to the squad ahead of the final match against Argentina.


2015 Rugby Championship, Squads, South Africa
‡ denotes players who are centrally contracted to the South African Rugby Union.


2015 Rugby Europe Sevens Grand Prix Series
The 2015 Rugby Europe Sevens Grand Prix Series was an Olympic qualification tournament for rugby sevens at the 2016 Summer Olympics which was held over three legs in the cities of Moscow, Lyon and Exeter.


2015 Rugby Europe Sevens Grand Prix Series
The top team qualified directly to the Olympic Games, whereas the runner-up qualified to the Final Olympic Qualification Tournament in 2016. France won the 2015 Rugby Europe Men's Sevens Championship, and qualified directly to the 2016 Summer Olympics. Spain finished second and qualified directly to the Final 2016 Men's Olympic Qualification Tournament, avoiding the Rugby Europe Repechage Tournament.


2015 Rugby Europe Sevens Grand Prix Series, Standings
Note Russia finishes above Germany due to tiebreaker of highest single tournament finish.


2015 Rugby Europe Sevens Olympic Repechage Tournament
The 2015 Rugby Europe Sevens Olympic Repechage Tournament was held on 18–19 July in Lisbon to determine the three teams that joined Spain at the final Olympic qualifying tournament, made up of the eight non-qualified Grand Prix teams, the top three teams of Division A and the champion of Division B. Russia won the European tournament, and qualified for the 2016 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament along with runner-up Germany and third place Ireland.


2015 Rugby Europe Sevens – Division A
The 2015 Rugby Europe Sevens Division A tournament is the second division of Rugby Europe's 2015 sevens season. This edition was hosted by the cities of Esztergom and Gdańsk from 6–21 June, with the winner promoted to the 2016 Grand Prix and the two teams with the fewest points relegated to Conference 1. Teams finishing in the top three also advanced to a repechage tournament for qualification to the final Olympic qualification tournament.


2015 Rugby Europe Sevens – Lower Divisions
The lower divisions of the 2015 Rugby Europe Sevens were the first with a new classification, where prior years split Division B into two geographical zones. For the inaugural year of the format, Division C was held in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, with twelve teams contesting five spots for Division B. Division B then played a twelve-team tournament in Zagreb, Croatia, with the two top-placing teams advancing to the 2016 Trophy, and the champion advancing to the Rugby Europe repechage tournament for a chance to qualify for the Olympic qualification tournament.


2015 Rugby Europe Sevens – Lower Divisions, Division C
Ireland dominated the competition, winning all six matches, while scoring 47 tries and conceding only 4. Their try scoring was led by Adam Byrne (8), followed by captain Tom Daly (7), and Alex Wootton (6).


2015 Rugby Europe Sevens – Lower Divisions, Division B
Ireland dominated the competition with six straight victories with winning margins of greater than 50-points, scoring 60 tries and conceding 0. Ireland’s Alex Wootton topped the scoring charts with 10 tries, with Shane Layden and David McGuigan scoring 7 tries apiece. The Player of the Tournament award went to Ireland’s Adam Byrne.


2015 Rugby Europe U20 Championship
The 2015 European Under-19 Rugby Union Championship (Rugby Europe Championship) is the ninth edition of the European Under-19 Rugby Union Championship for Under 19 national teams. It will be held in Lisbon, Portugal from October 25 to November 1.


2015 Rugby Europe U20 Championship
The tournament serves as Europe's qualifier for the 2016 World Rugby Under 20 Trophy.


2015 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Grand Prix Series
The 2015 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Grand Prix Series was held over two legs in the cities of Kazan and Brive. France won the championship and qualified for the women's rugby sevens at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Russia finished second and qualified the 2016 Rugby World Women's Sevens Olympic Repechage Tournament. A further seven teams qualified for the 2015 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Olympic Repechage Tournament.


2015 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Olympic Repechage Tournament
2015 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Olympic Repechage Tournament. Spain won the tournament and qualified for the 2016 Rugby World Women's Sevens Olympic Repechage Tournament along with runner-up Ireland and third place Portugal.


2015 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Olympic Repechage Tournament, Final repechage tournament
Teams qualified for the tournament based on their performances in the 2015 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Championships.


2015 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens – Division A
The 2015 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens – Division A was the second level of international women's rugby sevens competitions organised by Rugby Europe for 2015. The competition featured just one tournament, played at the Darius and Girėnas Stadium. Belgium won the tournament, and along with runner-up Finland, were promoted to the 2016 Grand Prix series. Georgia and Lithuania were relegated to the 2016 Conferences.


2015 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens – Division B
2015 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens – Division B. Denmark won the B Division Tournament and was promoted to Division A along with runner-up Israel for the 2016 Competition. They will replace Georgia and Lithuania who were both Relegated from Division A to Division B for the 2016 Competition.


2015 Rugby League European Championship C
The 2015 European Championship C tournament was the eighth staging of the Rugby League European Bowl tournament played in the respective European countries participating between 26 September to 17 October 2015.


2015 Rugby League European Championship C
A preliminary match was played between Latvia and Spain on 9 May 2015 for the third place in the competition. The winner of the competition will join the top three 2014–15 European Championship B nations along with Ireland and Wales in a two group round robin competition to qualify for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.


2015 Rugby League Structure
The structure for the 2015 Rugby Football League reintroduced promotion and relegation between Super League and the Championship which will both include 12 teams each.


2015 Rugby League Structure
At the end of the regular seasons, the two divisions will split into three groups of eight, The Super Eights.


2015 Rugby League Structure, Super League Top Eight
The top 8 teams in Super League carry the points they have earned in the regular season forward and play each other once, home or away. The top four teams will then play each other for a place in the Grand Final.


2015 Rugby League Structure, Super League Bottom Four and Championship Top Four
The bottom four in Super League and top four in the Championship form their own league of 8, with each team's points reset to zero, and play each other once home or away. The top three teams automatically gain a place in Super League. Teams that finish fourth and fifth will play each other in The Million Pound Game to determine who gets the final Super League place.


2015 Rugby League Structure, Championship Bottom Eight
The rest of the Championship will carry the points they earned in the regular season forward and play each other Once (home or away). The top four will then play each other and two teams will play in the Grand Final for the Championship Shield. Two teams will be relegated each year.


2015 Rugby World Cup
The 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was only one change: Uruguay replaced Russia. This was the first World Cup with no new teams to the tournament.


2015 Rugby World Cup
Reigning champions New Zealand won the cup and defended their title by defeating Australia in the final 34–17; South Africa defeated Argentina to take third place. This was the first Rugby World Cup where no Northern Hemisphere team got beyond the quarter-finals. New Zealand were the first team to retain their title and the first to win for a third time.


2015 Rugby World Cup
The highly contested match between Japan and South Africa on the opening weekend, in which Japan scored the winning try in the final minute, was widely considered the biggest upset in the history of rugby. Hosts England were eliminated at the pool stage, after defeats by Wales and Australia; this was the first time the sole host nation had failed to progress to the knockout stage.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Host selection, Submission of interest
The International Rugby Board (IRB) requested that any member unions wishing to host this tournament or the 2019 Rugby World Cup should indicate their interest by 15 August 2008. This would be purely to indicate interest; no details had to be provided at this stage. A record 10 unions indicated formal interest in hosting the 2015 and/or the 2019 events: Australia, England, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Russia, Scotland, South Africa and Wales. Argentina had been reported in early 2008 as having given preliminary consideration to bidding, but did not ultimately formally indicate an interest in bidding.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Host selection, Submission of interest
Of the 10 nations that had expressed formal interest, many withdrew their candidacy in early 2009. Jamaica was the first to withdraw its candidacy. Russia withdrew in February 2009 to concentrate on bidding for the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens, Australia and Ireland withdrew in spring 2009 due to financial reasons. Scotland withdrew in April 2009 after they were unable to secure co-hosting partners for the tournament. Wales was the last nation to officially pull out after they failed to submit a bid by 8 May 2009, but Wales backed England's bid and some games were played at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Host selection, Final bids
The final nations that bid for the right to host the 2015 Rugby World Cup were England, Japan, South Africa and Italy. Four confirmed bids was a record number for the Rugby World Cup.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Host selection, Final bids
On 28 July 2009, the IRB confirmed that England would host the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and Japan would host the 2019 event, having voted 16–10 in favour of approving the recommendation from Rugby World Cup Ltd (RWCL) that England and Japan should be named hosts. RWCL chairman Bernard Lapasset revealed the result on 28 July 2009 at IRB headquarters.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Host selection, Final bids, England
In September 2007, The Guardian reported that the Rugby Football Union had decided to submit a bid. BBC News reported in February 2009 that the intent was for a solo bid from the RFU, but with the possibility of some matches being played in Scotland, Wales or Ireland. It was hoped that the 2015 World Cup would add to Britain's "Decade of Sport" (including the 2012 Summer Olympics, 2013 Rugby League World Cup and 2014 Commonwealth Games).


2015 Rugby World Cup, Host selection, Final bids, England
It was also claimed that the bid had a very strong chance of success due to the IRB's belief that the 2011 tournament might make a loss, therefore making it particularly important to ensure a profit, which was considered a strong point of England's proposed bid. The chief executive of the Rugby Football Union, Francis Baron, said that the tournament would target sales of 3 million tickets. England's package was projected to generate £300 million for the IRB – £220 million in commercial returns from broadcasting, sponsorship and merchandising, and the £80 million tournament fee.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Host selection, Final bids, Italy
Italy stated its desire to host, and an Italian bid to host the Rugby World Cup in 2015 or 2019 was confirmed on 20 July 2008. Italy declared that it wanted to host "For the Enlargement of the Frontiers of Our Sport". It was a slogan relevant to the then-current landscape of World Cup rugby, given that 2007 was the first time that the Rugby World Cup was hosted by a primarily non-English-speaking country.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Host selection, Final bids, Italy
The Italian bid offered the largest cities and stadiums in the country and promised a fast domestic train system. The Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) also included the importance of the population and the growth of rugby since Italy joined the Six Nations in 2000 as reasons for hosting a World Cup. Rugby had been growing increasingly popular in Italy in recent years, with improved crowds at international matches.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Host selection, Final bids, Italy
The Stadio Olimpico in Rome had been proposed as the venue to host the final and the first match of the tournament. Milan and Naples were included as the other large venues. The entire list was a selection of large stadiums spread across the country. Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, France was also included as the tenth proposed venue.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Host selection, Final bids, Japan
The Japan Rugby Football Union officially submitted its tender to the IRB in May 2009. Japan was seen as a favourite to host after finishing as runner-up in the bidding for the 2011 event. Japan was seen as having a lot to offer rugby's growth in Asia. Its population of 127 million, its large economy, and its ability to place rugby before a new Asian audience made it a front-runner for hosting rights. Furthermore, rugby in Japan had developed a following, and with 126,000 registered players, Japan had more players than some of the Six Nations. Japan's Top League was a showcase for Japanese rugby, and there was excitement about Japan's entry into the RWC. Japan's experience in co-hosting the 2002 FIFA World Cup was also seen as a boost, with Japan already possessing the necessary stadiums and infrastructure.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Host selection, Final bids, South Africa
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) had confirmed its intent to bid for the 2015 tournament, and in May 2009 South Africa delivered its application to the IRB. South Africa had previously made an unsuccessful bid to host the 2011 RWC.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Host selection, Final bids, South Africa
The strengths of a South African bid would be that it is in the same time zone as Europe, the wealthiest television market from a rugby perspective, that South Africa were the current World Cup holders, that they had successfully hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup, won the 2007 Rugby World Cup and that they were in the process of building large new stadiums for the then-upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Venues
After England were appointed tournament hosts on 28 July 2009, the proposed stadia for the tournament were revealed. The final venues were confirmed, along with the tournament's schedule, on 2 May 2013. Twelve of the stadia were located in England, while the Millennium Stadium located in neighbour Wales was also to be used. In 2011, the IRB approved the use of the Millennium Stadium, despite being outside of the host country, due to its capacity and strategic location. Of the thirteen venues, two were dedicated rugby union grounds (Kingsholm Stadium and Sandy Park), two were national rugby stadia (Twickenham and the Millennium Stadium), two were multi-purpose stadia (Wembley Stadium and the Olympic Stadium), and the remainder were association football grounds.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Venues
Proposed venues that did not make the final selection were the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, Coventry's Ricoh Arena, St Mary's Stadium in Southampton, Pride Park Stadium in Derby, Anfield in Liverpool and Bristol's Ashton Gate. In April 2013, Old Trafford was withdrawn from consideration by its owners, Manchester United F.C., citing commitments to hosting rugby league and its Super League Grand Final and concerns about pitch degradation. The RWCL then approached neighbouring Manchester City about leasing their home stadium as a replacement.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Venues
City agreed to let their stadium be used for the tournament but only for one match due to footballing commitments – down from the original three which were to be played at Old Trafford. Etihad Stadium, as it was known for football sponsorship purposes, would be called 'Manchester City Stadium' by organisers for the duration of the tournament.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Venues, Team bases
The 41 venues that acted as bases for the teams were announced on 26 August 2014. All prospective team bases were subject to a rigorous selection process, which included a programme of detailed site visits as well as liaison with the competing teams. Each team base included an outdoor and indoor training facility, a swimming pool, gym and hotel and would be used by the competing teams in the lead up to and during the World Cup.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Qualifying
Of the 20 teams competing at the 2015 World Cup, 12 of them qualified by finishing in the top three places in their pools in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The other eight teams qualified through regional competition. As the host nation, England qualified automatically. The qualification process for the remaining teams incorporated existing regional competitions such as the European Nations Cup.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Qualifying, Qualified teams
Twenty teams played in the final tournament. They are listed below, along with their pre-tournament positions in the World Rugby Rankings. The list of teams was the same as in the 2003 tournament.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Draw
Seedings for the pools of the 2015 World Cup were based on the teams' respective IRB Rankings. The draw, hosted by Will Greenwood, was conducted on 3 December 2012 in London, and used the World Rankings as of that day, just after the 2012 end-of-year rugby union internationals, which finished on 1 December 2012. The 12 automatic qualifiers from 2011 were allocated to their respective bands based on their rankings:


2015 Rugby World Cup, Draw
The remaining 8 qualifying places were allocated to Bands 4 and 5, based on previous World Cup playing strength;


2015 Rugby World Cup, Draw
This meant the 20 teams, qualified and qualifiers, were seeded thus:


2015 Rugby World Cup, Draw
The draw saw a representative randomly draw a ball from a pot, the first drawn ball goes to Pool A, the second Pool B, the third Pool C and the fourth Pool D. The draw began with Pot 5, drawn by All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, followed by Pot 4, drawn by RWC 2015 Ambassador and English women's international Maggie Alphonsi, then Pot 3, drawn by Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Pot 2, drawn by the then Chief Executive for RWC 2015 Debbie Jevans, and finally Pot 1, drawn by IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Draw, Draw criticism
The timing of the draw drew criticism due to the long period between the draw occurring and the commencement of the tournament – three years. Indeed, by the time of the pool match between England and Wales on 26 September, pool A contained the 2nd, 3rd and 4th (Australia, England and Wales) ranked teams in the world.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Draw, Draw criticism
Following England's elimination at the pool stage after defeats by Australia and Wales, Wales coach Warren Gatland noted that "Everyone is making a thing about the first home country to hold a World Cup to miss out on the quarter-finals, but the stupid thing, as we all know, is why was the World Cup draw done three years ago? That's just ridiculous as far as I am concerned. If they had followed the football model, then we wouldn't be in this position.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Draw, Draw criticism
There are other people outside this who need to have a look at themselves and why those decisions were made, and you have got to feel sorry for the people involved and who this has affected". The chief executive of World Rugby Brett Gosper subsequently acknowledged criticisms, saying "We’ll look at that next time to see if it’s possible to make the draw closer to the tournament".


2015 Rugby World Cup, Squads
Each country was allowed a squad of 31 players for the tournament. These squads were to be submitted to World Rugby by a deadline of 31 August 2015. Once the squad was submitted, a player could be replaced if injured, but would not be allowed to return to the squad. There was also a stand-down period of 48 hours before the new player was allowed to take the field. Hence, a replacement player called into a squad on the eve of a game would not be permitted to play in that game.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the 2015 Rugby World Cup took place at Twickenham Stadium in London on 18 September 2015 at 19:20 (BST). The ceremony told the legend of how William Webb Ellis created the sport of rugby union, and featured the choir of Rugby School singing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", an anthem of rugby union in England. All the participating teams were represented by a former player in the ceremony; the host nation, England, was represented by World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Opening ceremony
The ceremony was directed by Kim Gavin, who was also responsible for directing the closing ceremonies of both the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Paralympics. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, who had an acting part previously in the ceremony, declared the tournament officially open, ending his speech with the words, "We're ready. Game on." British Prime Minister David Cameron said on social media that the 2015 Rugby World Cup would be the best ever.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Pool stage
The first round, or pool stage, saw the 20 teams divided into four pools of five teams, using the same format that was used in 2003, 2007, and 2011. Each pool was a single round-robin of ten games, in which each team played one match against each of the other teams in the same pool. Teams were awarded four points for a win, two points for a draw and none for a defeat. A team scoring four tries in one match scored a bonus point, as did a team that lost by fewer than eight points.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Pool stage
The teams finishing in the top two of each pool would advance to the quarter-finals. The top three teams of each pool received automatic qualification to the 2019 Rugby World Cup (Japan had already automatically qualified as hosts).


2015 Rugby World Cup, Pool stage
If two or more teams were tied on match points, the following tiebreakers would apply:


2015 Rugby World Cup, Pool stage
If three teams were tied on points, the above criteria would be used to decide first place in the Pool, and then the criteria would be used again (starting from criteria 1) to decide second place in the Pool.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Pool stage
Pld = Number of games played; W = Number of games won; D = Number of games drawn; L = Number of games lost; TF = Number of tries scored (tries for); PF = Number of points scored in the game (points for); PA = Number of points scored against the team (points against); +/– = Points difference, PF–PA; BP = Bonus (pool) points; Pts = Total number of (pool) points.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Awards
At the 2015 World Rugby Awards, Japan's game-winning final try against South Africa was named the best match moment of the tournament. A dream team was named made up of the best performing players of the tournament.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Statistics
The tournament's top point scorer was Argentine fly-half Nicolás Sánchez, who scored 97 points. New Zealand wing Julian Savea scored the most tries, eight, equalling the record for one tournament set by his compatriot Jonah Lomu and South African Bryan Habana.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Match officials
World Rugby named the following twelve referees, seven assistant referees and four television match officials to handle the pool stage games:


2015 Rugby World Cup, Media coverage
ITV Sport was the UK and worldwide host broadcaster for the 2015 event, having signed a deal in 2011 to broadcast the 2011 and 2015 RWC tournaments. ITV won the rights after outbidding rivals including the BBC and Sky Sports. It showed every match from the tournament live in the UK on ITV or ITV4.


2015 Rugby World Cup, Media coverage
1 Except British Indian Ocean Territory – Chagos Archipelago, Cape Verde, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, North Africa, Réunion, Somalia, South Sudan and Tristan da Cunha2 Except Belize3 Except Brazil and South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands


2015 Rugby World Cup, Video game
The officially licensed Rugby World Cup 2015 video game was released on 4 September 2015 on PC, PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. IGN rated the game 1.5/10, calling it "unbearable to play".


2015 Rugby World Cup, Tickets
Ticket prices were announced in November 2013 with general sale applications launching in September 2014. Adult ticket prices started at £15 for pool matches and children's tickets were available from £7 at 41 of the 48 matches. Tickets for the final ranged from £150 to £715.


2015 Rugby World Cup Final
The 2015 Rugby World Cup Final was a rugby union match to determine the winner of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, played between reigning champions New Zealand and their rivals Australia on 31 October 2015 at Twickenham Stadium in London. New Zealand beat Australia 34–17, winning the World Cup for a record third time, and becoming the first team to retain the Webb Ellis Cup.


2015 Rugby World Cup Final
This match saw a new record for tries in a Rugby World Cup Final with the teams combining for five, surpassing the previous record of four scored in the 1987 final. It was only the second final between two teams from the Southern Hemisphere, the previous one being South Africa's win over New Zealand in 1995.


2015 Rugby World Cup Final, Route to the final, New Zealand
Having been in band 1 in the draw, New Zealand were placed as the top team participating in Pool C. They began their tournament with a steady performance against Argentina, earning a 26–16 victory (though having been 13–12 down at half time) in front of a then-record crowd of 89,019 at Wembley on 20 September. On that day, their starting XV was the most experienced ever. Their performance remained steady four days later with a 58–14 win over Namibia in which they scored nine tries.


2015 Rugby World Cup Final, Route to the final, New Zealand
On 2 October, they faced Georgia – their first ever encounter – at the Millennium Stadium, with Julian Savea scoring a hat-trick to help New Zealand to a 43–10 win. New Zealand's last pool match was on 9 October, with their performance improving to reach a successful 47–9 victory over Tonga, which included a try by Ma'a Nonu who earned his 100th test cap during the match.


2015 Rugby World Cup Final, Route to the final, New Zealand
In the quarter-finals, the All Blacks faced France, the last team to beat New Zealand in a Rugby World Cup match (in the quarter-final stage of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, also at the Millennium Stadium). However, New Zealand crushed France 62–13, the highest winning margin in a World Cup knockout game since their win over Wales in 1987. Julian Savea scored a second hat-trick in the rout, equaling Jonah Lomu and Bryan Habana's record of eight tries in a World Cup. New Zealand reached the final after defeating South Africa 20–18 in a tight semi-final on 24 October, where New Zealand became the first ever nation to make four Rugby World Cup finals, having previously made the 1987, 1995 and 2011 tournament deciders.


2015 Rugby World Cup Final, Route to the final, Australia
Having also been in band 1 in the draw, Australia were placed as the top team in Pool A, and began their campaign with a 28–13 win over Fiji in Cardiff. Head Coach Michael Cheika, who had only been in charge of the team since 22 October 2014, had been open about the short four-day turn-around between Fiji and Uruguay, and openly admitted he would field two different starting XVs against either team.


2015 Rugby World Cup Final, Route to the final, Australia
Had it not been for an injury to James Slipper in the Fiji game, Cheika would have followed this through; instead, he made 14 changes for the match against Uruguay. On 27 September, they crushed Uruguay 65–3, scoring 11 tries, including two each for Sean McMahon, Ben McCalman and Drew Mitchell. They then went on to defeat hosts England at Twickenham, with Bernard Foley scoring two tries, kicking all three conversions and scoring all four penalties in a record 33–13 win.


2015 Rugby World Cup Final, Route to the final, Australia
On 10 October, Australia won 15–6 against Wales in the last game of the pool stage; no tries were scored in the match — the first time this had happened since 1947 — but Foley scored five of the six penalties that he took. During the match, Australia successfully defended for nearly 10 minutes with two players in the sin bin, a period of play that was widely referred to in the media as potentially "defining" the Australian campaign.


2015 Rugby World Cup Final, Route to the final, Australia
Australia nearly lost their quarter-final match on 18 October, requiring a controversial last-minute penalty from Foley to beat Scotland 35–34. The decision by referee Craig Joubert to award a penalty was later deemed incorrect by World Rugby, who issued a statement saying Joubert should have given a scrum instead. Despite this, Australia went on to the semi-final and faced Argentina. They defeated the Pumas 29–15, to reach the final, to become the second team, after New Zealand, to make four Rugby World Cup finals, having previously played in the 1991, 1999 and 2003 finals.


2015 Rugby World Cup Final, Match, Summary
New Zealand played with most of the possession and territory early in the match. After eight minutes, Dan Carter scored the first points in the match, putting New Zealand ahead 3–0. In the 15th minute New Zealand fullback Ben Smith knocked the ball on, and from the resulting scrum New Zealand were penalised when their front row collapsed allowing Bernard Foley to tie the scores. Referee Nigel Owens awarded a penalty to New Zealand after Sekope Kepu made a high tackle on Dan Carter. Carter successfully kicked a penalty goal, and gave New Zealand a three-point lead.


2015 Rugby World Cup Final, Match, Summary
At the kick off Wallabies lock Kane Douglas injured his knee jumping for the ball, and was replaced by Dean Mumm. At 26 minutes Wallabies centre Matt Giteau suffered concussion tackling All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick and was replaced by Kurtley Beale. At 27 minutes Carter stretched New Zealand's lead with another penalty goal. The first try was scored just before halftime with New Zealand winger Nehe Milner-Skudder touching down in the corner. Carter converted giving New Zealand a lead of 16–3 at the end of the first half.


2015 Rugby World Cup Final, Match, Summary
Two minutes into the second half, New Zealand's replacement centre Sonny Bill Williams offloaded the ball to Ma'a Nonu who beat a handful of Australian defenders to score a try, extending the lead to 21–3. In the 52nd minute, New Zealand fullback Ben Smith was sin-binned after tip-tackling Australia's Drew Mitchell. While Smith was in the sin-bin, Australia ran in two tries – the first to number eight David Pocock from a driving maul, and the second to centre Tevita Kuridrani following a kick to score. Foley converted both tries to bring Australia within four points with 16 minutes remaining.


2015 Rugby World Cup Final, Match, Summary
With 10 minutes left on the clock, Carter kicked a drop goal from 40 metres to open up the gap to seven points. Several minutes later, New Zealand were awarded a penalty, with Carter converting long range to give New Zealand a 27–17 lead. Needing to score quick tries to stay in the match, Australia lost the ball, which was kicked ahead by Ben Smith, allowing Beauden Barrett to chase and score the clinching try. Carter converted the try to make the final score 34–17.


2015 Rugby World Cup Final, Match, Summary
New Zealand became the first team in the History of the Rugby World Cup to successfully defend their title after eight editions of the tournament. They also became the first team to win three Rugby World Cups, previously winning the 1987 and 2011 editions, both of which were held on home soil, making this occasion the first time that New Zealand won the tournament on foreign soil.


2015 Rugby World Cup Final, Match, Details
Assistant referees:Jérôme Garcès (France)Wayne Barnes (England)Television match official:Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)


2015 Rugby World Cup Final, Closing ceremony
At the closing ceremony on 31 October, English singer Laura Wright sang World in Union. This was followed by the handover to Japan for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Prince Harry presented the Webb Ellis Cup to winning captain Richie McCaw after the match, once the team's name had been engraved on the base of the trophy.


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool A
Pool A of the 2015 Rugby World Cup began on 18 September and was completed on 10 October 2015. The pool was composed of hosts England, as well as the third- and fourth-placed teams from 2011, Australia and Wales. They were joined by the Oceania qualifier, Fiji, and the repechage qualifier, Uruguay. The group was called the group of death, with four of the five teams in the top 10 of the World Rugby Rankings going into the tournament. Australia and Wales qualified for the quarter-finals.


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool A, England vs Fiji
Touch judges:John Lacey (Ireland)Stuart Berry (South Africa)Television match official:Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool A, Wales vs Uruguay
Touch judges:Pascal Gaüzère (France)Mathieu Raynal (France)Television match official:Ben Skeen (New Zealand)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool A, Australia vs Fiji
Touch judges:Nigel Owens (Wales)Leighton Hodges (Wales)Television match official:Graham Hughes (England)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool A, England vs Wales
Touch judges:Romain Poite (France)Mathieu Raynal (France)Television match official:Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool A, Australia vs Uruguay
Touch judges:Jaco Peyper (South Africa)Marius Mitrea (Italy)Television match official:Graham Hughes (England)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool A, Wales vs Fiji
Touch judges:Jérôme Garcès (France)Mathieu Raynal (France)Television match official:George Ayoub (Australia)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool A, England vs Australia
Touch judges:George Clancy (Ireland)Marius Mitrea (Italy)Television match official:Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool A, Fiji vs Uruguay
Touch judges:Jaco Peyper (South Africa)Leighton Hodges (Wales)Television match official:Graham Hughes (England)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool A, Australia vs Wales
Touch judges:Jérôme Garcès (France)Stuart Berry (South Africa)Television match official:Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool A, England vs Uruguay
Touch judges:Angus Gardner (Australia)Federico Anselmi (Argentina)Television match official:George Ayoub (Australia)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool B
Pool B of the 2015 Rugby World Cup began on 19 September and was completed on 11 October 2015. The pool was composed of South Africa, Samoa and Scotland – who all qualified automatically for the tournament due to finishing in the top three positions in their pools in 2011 – joined by the top Asian qualifier, Japan, and the second American qualifier, United States. South Africa and Scotland qualified for the quarter finals.


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool B, South Africa vs Japan
Touch judges:JP Doyle (England)Federico Anselmi (Argentina)Television match official:Graham Hughes (England)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool B, Samoa vs United States
Touch judges:Jaco Peyper (South Africa)Federico Anselmi (Argentina)Television match official:Graham Hughes (England)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool B, Scotland vs Japan
Touch judges:George Clancy (Ireland)Marius Mitrea (Italy)Television match official:Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool B, South Africa vs Samoa
Touch judges:JP Doyle (England)Angus Gardner (Australia)Television match official:Graham Hughes (England)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool B, Scotland vs United States
Touch judges:John Lacey (Ireland)Mike Fraser (New Zealand)Television match official:Ben Skeen (New Zealand)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool B, Samoa vs Japan
Touch judges:Wayne Barnes (England)Stuart Berry (South Africa)Television match official:Ben Skeen (New Zealand)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool B, South Africa vs Scotland
Touch judges:Chris Pollock (New Zealand)Leighton Hodges (Wales)Television match official:George Ayoub (Australia)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool B, South Africa vs United States
Touch judges:Nigel Owens (Wales)Mike Fraser (New Zealand)Television match official:George Ayoub (Australia)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool B, Samoa vs Scotland
Touch judges:JP Doyle (England)Marius Mitrea (Italy)Television match official:Ben Skeen (New Zealand)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool B, United States vs Japan
Touch judges:John Lacey (Ireland)Federico Anselmi (Argentina)Television match official:Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool C
Pool C of the 2015 Rugby World Cup began on 19 September and was completed on 11 October 2015. The pool was composed of New Zealand (the title holders), Argentina and Tonga – who all qualified automatically for the tournament due to finishing in the top three positions in their pools in 2011 – along with the top European qualifier, Georgia, and the top African qualifier, Namibia.


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool C
After winning the first three of their matches, New Zealand became the first team to qualify for the 2015 Rugby World Cup Quarter Finals. After Tonga loss to New Zealand in their last Pool Match, Argentina became the second team from Pool C to qualify for the quarter finals. New Zealand eventually went on to win Rugby World Cup 2015, beating Australia 34 - 17 in the final.


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool C, Tonga vs Georgia
Touch judges:Chris Pollock (New Zealand)Leighton Hodges (Wales)Television match official:George Ayoub (Australia)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool C, New Zealand vs Argentina
Touch judges:JP Doyle (England)Angus Gardner (Australia)Television match official:George Ayoub (Australia)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool C, New Zealand vs Namibia
Touch judges:Craig Joubert (South Africa)Mathieu Raynal (France)Television match official:George Ayoub (Australia)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool C, Argentina vs Georgia
Touch judges:Nigel Owens (Wales)Stuart Berry (South Africa)Television match official:Ben Skeen (New Zealand)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool C, Tonga vs Namibia
Touch judges:Chris Pollock (New Zealand)Federico Anselmi (Argentina)Television match official:Ben Skeen (New Zealand)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool C, New Zealand vs Georgia
Touch judges:Angus Gardner (Australia)Mathieu Raynal (France)Television match official:Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool C, Argentina vs Tonga
Touch judges:Glen Jackson (New Zealand)Mike Fraser (New Zealand)Television match official:Ben Skeen (New Zealand)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool C, Namibia vs Georgia
Touch judges:Romain Poite (France)Stuart Berry (South Africa)Television match official:Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool C, New Zealand vs Tonga
Touch judges:JP Doyle (England)Marius Mitrea (Italy)Television match official:Graham Hughes (England)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool C, Argentina vs Namibia
Touch judges:Jérôme Garcès (France)Mike Fraser (New Zealand)Television match official:George Ayoub (Australia)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool D
Pool D of the 2015 Rugby World Cup began on 19 September and was completed on 11 October 2015. The pool was composed of France (the 2011 runners-up), Ireland and Italy – who all qualified automatically for the tournament due to finishing in the top three positions in their pools in 2011 – joined by the top American qualifier, Canada, and the second European qualifier, Romania. The top two teams; Ireland and France qualified for the quarter finals.


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool D, Ireland vs Canada
Touch judges:Pascal Gaüzère (France)Mike Fraser (New Zealand)Television match official:Ben Skeen (New Zealand)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool D, France vs Italy
Touch judges:John Lacey (Ireland)Stuart Berry (South Africa)Television match official:Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool D, France vs Romania
Touch judges:Craig Joubert (South Africa)Federico Anselmi (Argentina)Television match official:George Ayoub (Australia)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool D, Italy vs Canada
Man of the Match:D. T. H. van der Merwe (Canada)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool D, Italy vs Canada
Touch judges:Glen Jackson (New Zealand)Mike Fraser (New Zealand)Television match official:George Ayoub (Australia)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool D, Ireland vs Romania
Touch judges:Romain Poite (France)Leighton Hodges (Wales)Television match official:Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool D, France vs Canada
Touch judges:Wayne Barnes (England)Angus Gardner (Australia)Television match official:Graham Hughes (England)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool D, Ireland vs Italy
Touch judges:Pascal Gaüzère (France)Angus Gardner (Australia)Television match official:Graham Hughes (England)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool D, Canada vs Romania
Touch judges:Glen Jackson (New Zealand)Marius Mitrea (Italy)Television match official:Ben Skeen (New Zealand)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool D, Italy vs Romania
Touch judges:George Clancy (Ireland)Mathieu Raynal (France)Television match official:Ben Skeen (New Zealand)


2015 Rugby World Cup Pool D, France vs Ireland
Touch judges:Wayne Barnes (England)Leighton Hodges (Wales)Television match official:Graham Hughes (England)


2015 Rugby World Cup knockout stage
The knockout stage of the 2015 Rugby World Cup began on 17 October with two quarter-finals and concluded on 31 October with the final at Twickenham Stadium in London with all matches played over the course of three consecutive weekends.


2015 Rugby World Cup knockout stage, Qualified teams
Australia went unbeaten to finish in first place in Pool A, with Wales in second place. In Pool B, South Africa finished top despite losing their opening match against Japan, ahead of Scotland in second place. New Zealand also went unbeaten as winners of Pool C, with Argentina in second. Pool D was topped by Northern Hemisphere teams, with Ireland coming first and France in second.


2015 Rugby World Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, South Africa vs Wales
Touch judges:George Clancy (Ireland)JP Doyle (England)Television match official:Graham Hughes (England)


2015 Rugby World Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, New Zealand vs France
Touch judges:Jaco Peyper (South Africa)John Lacey (Ireland)Television match official:Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)


2015 Rugby World Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Ireland vs Argentina
Touch judges:Romain Poite (France)Chris Pollock (New Zealand)Television match official:George Ayoub (Australia)


2015 Rugby World Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Australia vs Scotland
Touch judges:Glen Jackson (New Zealand)Pascal Gaüzère (France)Television match official:Ben Skeen (New Zealand)


2015 Rugby World Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals
This was the first Rugby World Cup where no Northern Hemisphere team reached the semi-finals. The semi-final line-up consisted of the four Rugby Championship teams: New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Australia. Both matches were played at Twickenham which was also used for the same stage back in the 1999 Rugby World Cup.


2015 Rugby World Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, South Africa vs New Zealand
Touch judges:Romain Poite (France)John Lacey (Ireland)Television match official:George Ayoub (Australia)


2015 Rugby World Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, Argentina vs Australia
Touch judges:Jaco Peyper (South Africa)George Clancy (Ireland)Television match official:Ben Skeen (New Zealand)


2015 Rugby World Cup knockout stage, Bronze Final: South Africa vs Argentina
Touch judges:Glen Jackson (New Zealand)Chris Pollock (New Zealand)Television match official:Graham Hughes (England)


2015 Rugby World Cup knockout stage, Final: New Zealand vs Australia
Touch judges:Jérôme Garcès (France)Wayne Barnes (England)Television match official:Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)


2015 Rugby World Cup qualifying
The qualification process for the 2015 Rugby World Cup began during the pool stages of the 2011 tournament in New Zealand, during which the top three teams from each of the four pools were awarded automatic qualification for the 2015 event. A further eight teams qualified through regional tournaments and the repechage process. The tournament was held in England; it began on 18 September 2015 and finished on 31 October.


2015 Rugby World Cup qualifying, Qualification process
Qualification started in the pool stage of RWC 2011. 12 teams received an automatic qualification berth by finishing in the top 3 positions of their respective pools.


2015 Rugby World Cup qualifying, Qualification process
A further 8 berths for the tournament were then available through regional tournaments and the repechage process.


2015 Rugby World Cup qualifying, Qualification process
The non-automatic qualification process began on 24 March 2012, by the end of which 80 teams had competed over 184 matches.


2015 Rugby World Cup qualifying, Qualification process
The pool draw for the 2015 Rugby World Cup took place on 3 December 2012. As with the 2011 tournament, the top 12 teams were grouped into 3 bands for the pool draw as per their IRB Rankings on that date, while the other 8 qualifying teams were split into a fourth and fifth band. One team from each band was drawn into each pool.