September 1999. Copyright, 1999, Graphic News. All rights reserved

By Margot Nesdale

LONDON, September, Graphic News: WORLD Cup pilgrims looking for Mecca are about to gravitate to a new citadel in the spiritual home of Rugby.
A futuristic Millennium Stadium has risen out of the ashes of the Cardiff Arms Park to stage the biggest global sporting event in Welsh history.
The Rugby World Cup tournament kicks off at the £125 million complex on October 1 with an opening ceremony and the first game, Wales vs Argentina.
The seating bowl in the 72,500-seat arena will bring spectators closer to the on-field action and will feature:
The first retractable roof in the UK
17 bars, restaurants and fast food outlets
A giant screen, TV, communication and sound systems
A riverside walkway
125 corporate boxes
The Rugby Hall of Fame
The Welsh Rugby Union museum
This yearÕs challenge, the fourth and largest in the history of the Cup, has been a logistical nightmare, involving five host countries.
Some 41 matches will be played at 18 different venues across Wales, England, Ireland, Scotland and France during the 37-day tournament. The new stadium in Cardiff will be the centre of Cup fever, hosting seven matches, including the final on November 6.
The Cup is expected to attract a worldwide television audience of more than 2.5 billion and boost the Welsh economy by up to £800 million.
Twenty teams will compete in the finals and have been split into five pools:
 A: Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Uruguay
B: New Zealand, England, Italy, Tonga
C: France, Fiji, Canada, Namibia
D: Wales, Argentina, Samoa, Japan
E: Australia, Ireland, USA, Romania
Those who automatically qualified were South Africa, the 1995 World Champions, New Zealand, the runner-up, France, the bronze medallist and Wales, the host nation.
/ENDS.

Sources: RWC 1999 Tournament Office, Welsh Rugby Union