Rugby World Cup organisers yesterday declared the pool phase of the tournament to be a "breathtaking shop window for the sport" and said the key to its success was the increased competitiveness of the tier two nations. Record ticket sales, packed fan zones and massive TV audiences have enabled World Rugby to hit or surpass most of their tournament targets off the pitch, while officials have been delighted with the action on it during the 40 pool games."This has been a breathtaking pool phase," World Rugby's chief executive Brett Gosper told reporters at Twickenham."It is already the biggest Rugby World Cup and we are confident that on so many levels it will be the best."The 2.41 million tickets sold, with an average of 97% capacity, surpasses the previous best 2.3 million for France 2007, while 750000 people have watched games in fan zones.More than 11 million UK television viewers tuned in for England's games against Australia and Wales, while a surprising three million watched in Germany.The most remarkable figures were in Japan. Around 800000 people watched their opening match against South Africa but after Japan won it in the biggest-ever World Cup shock, the audience rocketed to 20 million for their next game against Scotland and hit 25 million for the Samoa clash.Japan, who had previously secured one victory in seven tournaments, won three games this time round while Georgia, Tonga and Romania had moments to remember.Namibia and Uruguay, the lowest-ranked teams in the tournament who have suffered monumental thrashings in the past, have also been much more competitive, with the key change coming in the final quarter of games when the outsiders' improved fitness means they no longer collapse...