The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the last major tournament played before rugby went professional - and coverage went behind a paywall. First, I said they should host a mini Rugby World Cup every year. READ MORE:* Guy Williams: Super Rugby team name power rankings* Guy Williams: Are Kiwis the worst sports fans? In 2019, the Rugby World Cup is available on subscription with Spark, but they're promising to show as many as seven games free-to-air. Until then, we can mark the 23rd of June 1995 – when SANZAR hid rugby behind a paywall – as the day the rugby died.

Source: Stuff June 08, 2019 17:00 UTC