EXCLUSIVE: World Cup guru reveals change from moment Wilkinson broke Aussie hearts as tournament returns Down Under in 2027

When Jonny Wilkinson dropped the ball to his feet in November 2003, hearts were in mouths.

With 82,957 in the stadium, while millions more watched or listened from home, it was one of those moments where you remember exactly where you were.

Wilkinson's drop goal sailed through the posts and delivered the Rugby World Cup to England on Australian soil

Watch the 2025 Rugby Championship with every match streaming live and on demand on the home of rugby, Stan Sport

You could argue the Wallabies have never fully recovered.

Now, 22 years later, the Webb Ellis Cup is back in Australia.

This time it sat on the podium of Level 6 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in The Rocks.

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It was just over 20km from where England lifted it in 2003, when Australian hearts sank and English voices bellowed.

Now this Wallabies side has two years to try and change fortunes and lift the Webb Ellis Cup on home soil.

But when it comes to running a tournament of this magnitude, what's changed since then?

Rugby World Cup 2027 managing director, Chris Stanley, had a simple answer.

"Expectation," he told Wide World of Sports at the launch of the ticketing programme on Tuesday.

"I think fans expect a lot more than what they did in 2003. Everything inside the white lines has relatively stayed the same. We're lucky, all of our stadiums have either been rebuilt or refurbished. Technology is a big part but I also think the essence of a Rugby World Cup is still the same.

"People want to come along, it's a very unique event. The fans are incredibly friendly, you can have two competing teams sitting next to each other as spectators and they're having a great time which comes down to the values of rugby, respect on the field and off the field.

"2003 was obviously a fantastic success, having the home nation go deep into the tournament is really important for any event and it will be important for us and hopefully we can achieve the same outcome in 2027 and have the Wallabies go deep into the tournament."

When it comes to these major events, a fans first focus will come through in ticket prices.

In his speech to the guests, Stanley made the point that one million tickets for the tournament will be sold for under the $100 price point.

But the biggest carrot was the super fan pass, an offer that guarantees access to buy up to four tickets for any of the 52 matches, including the tournament opener and the semi finals and final.

That will set you back a cool $750 with 2027 of those tickets available from August 5.

Former rugby sevens gold medallist Chloe Dalton and Wallabies legend Michael Hooper both admitted on stage it took them a while to grasp that 2027 wasn't just an oddly random number.

Stanley himself has worked on six World Cups, starting at 2003 and knows what it takes to deliver a successful event.

That doesn't mean he's not looking at other sports though, in particular the Matildas and how they captured the attention of the nation in 2023.

"We're really lucky in Australia, we deliver events really well," he said.

"There's an old adage that Australia's a safe pair of hands.

"We've got fantastic stadiums, we've got fantastic expertise in the people that run events here. The FIFA Women's World Cup was an amazing success and we look at what F1 are doing, what the NFL are doing, what tennis are doing, so we can take little bits from each of them and see how we adapt that and use for the Rugby World Cup in 2027 but just changing it up a little bit.

"There's a lot of emphasis on the fan experience. For a Rugby World Cup in 2027 to be inviting for everyone to come along, it's more than just a sport, it has to be an amazing entertainment from leaving your home, making it easy for people to get there. There'll be great activations around the city, around the stadium and then when you get into the stadium."

With 20 staff members working on the event, Stanley predicts that will rise to 150 come tournament time.

His aim? An event for all of Australia to enjoy.

"I think to be part of something that's such a magical event, and leading it is a fantastic opportunity and one I put my arms around and want to achieve the best for everybody and that comes down to a fantastic ticketing solution to make it more accessible and we're really focused on making sure there's price points for everybody," he said.

"It's really important for the next generation of fans that they can come along, a million tickets under $100 is a great narrative."

Fans can register for presale before the end of January 2026 with release phases starting in February.

And Rugby World Cup Experiences have released their ticket-inclusive packages for the opening match, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.

"We're thrilled to work with World Rugby to bring this ground-breaking hospitality and travel programme to life," said David MacCallum, event director of RWC Experiences.

"From premium match day experiences to tailored travel and exclusive tournament access, our goal is to set a new global benchmark for major event experiences, right here in Australia."