The Rugby World Cup 2015 has already kicked off with a massive opening ceremony, and the first game in the tournament is already out of the way with England taking on Fiji. For that matter, England were made to work hard by Fiji in their World Cup opener, and pulled away in the last 20 minutes, securing a bonus-point win at Twickenham.

This was just the first game of the competition, with New Zealand looking to defend its crown come Sunday against Argentina, but if it is anything to go by, we are in for quite the ride this year. However, it isn't possible to catch every game on TV and you are bound to miss out a few. But that's where your smartphone or tablet comes to your aid.

In case you didn't know, there are a host of apps out there – both Android and iOS – to help you stay up to date with the game. And we take a look at the top seven among those that you must download on your device to stay on top of the game.

Ultimate Rugby – For Android and iOS – While you can always go for the official app (we shall talk about it later) for the tournament, you might want to take a look at a few third party ones as well, and Ultimate Rugby has to be one of them. The highlight of the app is the font it carries, aside all the data and news, and more than comprehensive coverage.

Rugby World Cup 2015 Programmes – For iOS – The biggest advantage of this app is that it gives you a digital format of all the official matchday programmes. There's a subscription format that's involved with this one and expect as many as 48 programmes over the next month.

Official Rugby World Cup 2015 App – For Android and iOS – This is basically the official app that's been launched for the tournament. As expected, the app gets you full schedules, news, push notification support and even a Dream Team game to keep you hooked. Plus, users can customise the overlay of the app according to the country they are following.

ITV Rugby World Cup 2015 – For Android and iOS – This is one app that will suit you better, provided you are based in the UK. The ITV Rugby World Cup 2015 app gets you video highlights for every game. ITV will even have viewer polls on the app during key moments in any game.

All Blacks: Rugby Union App – For Android and iOS – As the name suggests, the app is basically a treat if you are supporting defending champions New Zealand in the world cup. However, this is such a well made single-nation app that it might be a reason of envy for other team supporters. Not only does the app get you all the news, live match-stats and videos, but it even offers an Apple Watch companion.

Rugby World Magazine – For iOS – As you may expect, this is a magazine app that gets you around everything related to the game, rather than day-to-day news of what's happening across the stadiums. This is the best app if you want more in-depth knowledge about what's going on elsewhere, with rugby as the focus.

Rugby Manager – For Android and iOS – Last but not the least, if you have enough rugby news apps on your handset or tablet, why not go for a chance to manage your own rugby team when there are no matches? Well, now you can with Rugby Manager. The game allows you to hire and train players, and even devise ingenious formations to take into a match.

Which is your favourite go-to rugby app this season? Let us know in the comments section below.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Also Read