What is the official name of rugby union’s World Cup trophy?

Rugby union’s World Cup trophy is officially called the Webb Ellis Cup.

The trophy is named after William Webb Ellis, the Rugby School pupil traditionally credited with first running forward while carrying the ball during a football match in 1823. Historians have questioned whether that particular event happened, but the story became part of rugby’s founding mythology.

The silver cup was made by London silversmiths Carrington and Company in 1906. World Rugby uses it as the prize for the men’s Rugby World Cup, first staged in 1987. It is sometimes informally called the Rugby World Cup trophy, but Webb Ellis Cup is the canonical name.

The trophy is not the same object as domestic or annual competition cups. The Calcutta Cup is contested by England and Scotland, while the Bledisloe Cup is contested by Australia and New Zealand. Those names can cause confusion, but Webb Ellis Cup specifically identifies the men’s global championship prize.