With the World Cup drawing near, rugby is moving ever closer to the very top of the global sporting agenda. There have been some great tournaments over the years, and some truly memorable moments – and not just in 1995 and 2007. The combination of the brutal physicality, the pace, the intensity and the demand for precision under pressure that characterise international rugby at the top level make it one of the greatest sporting spectacles. And the pre-game pageantry and that four-year cycle only add a broader historical backdrop to the drama that, as we have seen already, can turn mortal men into living legends.