2003 Rugby World Cup 2003 Rugby World Cup The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Union and Rugby World Cup Limited. The pre-event favourites were England, regarded by many at the time as the best team in the world. New Zealand, France, South Africa and defending champions Australia were also expected to make strong showings, with New Zealand being second favourites after victory in the southern-hemisphere
Rugby League World Cup hosts Rugby League World Cup hosts Seven countries have hosted and co-hosted the Rugby League World Cup. England, France, Australia and New Zealand have hosted the World Cup on multiple occasions and the tournament has never been played outside its traditional 'heartlands' in these areas. The Rugby League International Federation is responsible for picking hosts. From 1954 to 2008 World Cups were sporadic and hosts were picked and tournaments were arranged between the four traditional rugby league playing countries and the RLIF. From 2013 and beyond countries have to send an application to the RLIF to host the World Cup as