The Webb Ellis Cup – the trophy presented to the winners of the men’s Rugby World Cup – was made in 1906 by Garrad and Co. and is based on a design from 1736 by the world-famous silversmith Paul de Lamerie.
Standing 38cm tall and weighing 4.5kg, the Webb Ellis Cup is crafted from solid sterling silver and 24 carat gold plate and supported by two cast scroll handles; one executed with the head of a satyr and the other a head of a nymph, a spirit of nature. The decorative pieces include a bearded mask, lion mask and vine.
Adorned with the words ‘The International Rugby Football Board’ and ‘The Webb Ellis Cup’, the trophy was selected by Chairman of the RWC 1987 organising committee John Kendall-Carpenter and Bob Weighill, the Honorary Secretary of the International Rugby Football Board.
The iconic trophy is named after William Webb Ellis, the Rugby School pupil credited with inventing the game of rugby football in 1823 after showing “a fine disregard for the rules” by catching the ball and running with it.
The women’s Rugby World Cup trophy may not have a name like its male counterpart but is just as coveted by the teams. The trophy, which now bears the new Rugby World Cup brandmark, is art deco in design and made of solid silver.
