Happy birthday Bill

Bill is 25 years old today. He was delivered in Auckland on 20 June 1987, and we were there to see his delivery.

"Bill" is of course the Webb Ellis Cup. Named after William Webb Ellis, the bloke who first picked up the ball and ran with it way back in the day, in blatant disregard for the rules of the day. The Wallabies nicknamed the cup after they first won it in 1991.

But it was a New Zealander who was first to hold Bill; David Kirk (quite fittingly, a medical doctor). We were fortunate enough to be at that match, seated just a few rows back from where Michael Jones scored the match's opening try after a Grant Fox drop goal attempt was partially charged down.

And at the end of the match we, like thousands of others streamed onto the ground to stand in front of the main grandstand and watch the presentation. It was a special moment; one that we will never forget. We were there!

As he celebrates his 25th birthday, Bill is now back in New Zealand. Eden Park has changed a lot since the day that Bill was delivered; so has rugby, and so has life. After the 1987 RWC, All Black winger Craig Green was back at work on the Monday morning at his roofing job. After the 2011 RWC, All Black winger Zac Guilford went on a bender in Rarotonga. Rugby players are now highly paid professional athletes; the 1987 team all had jobs and lives outside rugby.

Birthdays are always an opportunity for a bit of reminiscing, and a bit of nostalgia. So here for your entertainment (and for some, your education) are extended match highlights of the day the Bill was delivered:

Happy birthday Bill. May you spend many more of them here in New Zealand!