A South African rugby fan is chasing a new world record for most matches attended at a Rugby World Cup by an individual.

54-year-old Paul Erskine is in Japan for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and hopes to use this platform to write his name in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Erskine has tickets for 36 of the 48 Word Cup matches, and is determined to attend all of them.

The current record holder is held by Justin Davies, who attended 28 Rugby World Cup games during the 2015 tournament in England.

Setting the record is not an easy task however. As Erskine explains, he had to register his intentions three months ahead of the tournament.

While in Japan, he is also required to provide a ticket stub, photographic evidence that he was present for the pre-game national anthems, signatures from two witnesses, and detailed notes about how he got to the stadium.

“People can lie,” he says. “They could win (the record) by one ticket or two tickets. But, physically, how could you get from A to B?”

At the end of the tournament, the South African will be required to compile his data and send it to Guinness.

Once verified, his name will be added into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Erskine’s efforts come on the back of fellow African Alvin Zhakata, who made history in July by becoming the first man to make the road journey from South Africa’s Cape Town to the Egyptian capital, Cairo, for football reasons. He had travelled to the North African country to attend the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

(Additional information from CNN)