The short answer
The Webb Ellis Cup is the trophy awarded to the men's Rugby World Cup champion. World Rugby selected an existing Victorian silver-gilt cup before the inaugural 1987 tournament and named it for William Webb Ellis, the schoolboy traditionally credited in rugby's origin story. It is not a trophy made in 1987: the object was fashioned in the nineteenth century and adapted to a modern world championship.
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The trophy is older than the World Cup
The first men’s Rugby World Cup was played in 1987, but its trophy was not commissioned as a new object. Organisers selected an existing silver-gilt cup made in the Victorian period.
That distinction prevents a common timeline error. The championship began in 1987; the material cup belongs to an earlier decorative tradition. Trophy and tournament acquired a shared history only when New Zealand lifted it after the inaugural final.
Its name comes from rugby’s founding legend
William Webb Ellis was a pupil at Rugby School who, according to later tradition, took the ball in his arms and ran during a football match in 1823. The story is central to rugby mythology but not a documented single moment of invention.
Naming the cup after him gave the new world tournament an origin story. SportsGoogly’s wider rugby rules guide shows why the sport itself emerged through codification, not one isolated run.
The handles carry two different figures
The cup follows a classical trophy form with a lid, broad handles and ornate decoration. A satyr’s head appears on one handle and a nymph’s head on the other.
Its gilt surface explains the golden appearance, while its shape connects it to nineteenth-century presentation silver rather than the streamlined branding of many modern trophies.
New Zealand made it a world championship symbol
New Zealand defeated France in the 1987 final and became the first nation to lift the Webb Ellis Cup. Later finals attached the object to defining episodes in international rugby, including South Africa’s home victory in 1995 and England’s extra-time win in 2003.
The cup now represents the endpoint of the Rugby World Cup qualification system, which for 2027 feeds 24 nations into the tournament.
The cup is not awarded for every Rugby World Cup
World Rugby runs men’s and women’s world championships, but “Webb Ellis Cup” specifically names the men’s trophy. Using it as a generic label for every Rugby World Cup prize erases separate competition histories.
The same care matters with rules. A rugby scrum is not interchangeable with every restart, and a celebrated name does not make distinct institutional objects identical.
Custody creates continuity
The champion lifts and holds the cup as world title-holder, but the object remains part of World Rugby’s championship estate rather than becoming a nation’s permanent possession.
That custody model lets the same physical symbol connect tournaments, hosts and champions. The engraving records winners, while the governing body preserves the object that turns separate editions into a continuing competition.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Rugby World Cup trophy called?
The men's Rugby World Cup trophy is called the Webb Ellis Cup.
Who was William Webb Ellis?
He was a Rugby School pupil traditionally credited with running with the ball in 1823, though the story is not firm contemporary evidence of rugby's invention.
Was the cup made for the 1987 World Cup?
No. Organisers selected an existing nineteenth-century silver-gilt cup for the new tournament.
Who first won the Webb Ellis Cup?
New Zealand won the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987.
Is it the same as the women's Rugby World Cup trophy?
No. The Webb Ellis Cup is the men's championship trophy; the women's competition has its own trophy history.
Does the champion own the cup permanently?
No. It is the championship's presentation trophy and remains under World Rugby's institutional custody.