The establishment of the Rugby World Cup not only provided a means by which to label the best rugby nation in the world, it was also a vehicle for spreading the virtues and creed of the Game to a wider global audience.
This goal was helped in no small part by the achievements of Western Samoa in the 1991 Tournament when the Pacific Islanders wrote their name into the Rugby World Cup history books with a victory that until then had seemed unthinkable.
Western Samoa had negotiated the inaugural qualifying campaign to earn their place in Pool 3 alongside Wales, Argentina and Australia and their Rugby World Cup debut was against Wales on 6 October.
The Cardiff Arms Park crowd were expecting a home victory but Wales, who were still basking in the glory of their third place finish four years earlier, were to find the Samoans too big and powerful an obstacle to overcome.
Samoans are naturally suited to rugby because of their physique and handling skills and Wales were made to pay for underestimating the talent of their less fancied opponents with a 16-13 defeat.
This result had a far greater significance on the Rugby World Cup than merely giving the islanders a first victory. It was also the first time a nation from outside the top tier had beaten one of the eight founder members.
With a narrow 9-3 defeat by Australia and a 35-12 win against Argentina Western Samoa proceeded to a quarter final berth, where the dream, and the fascination of following them would end with defeat by Scotland.
The Samoans returned home to a hero’s welcome, some 15,000 fans having packed into the national stadium in Apia in the early hours of the morning to watch their Rugby World Cup exploits live on television.