2015 WORLD CUP:THE ENGLAND Rugby Football Union won a significant victory in their campaign to host the 2015 World Cup yesterday after tournament organisers officially endorsed their bid. The board of Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) recommended the 2015 event be staged in England and suggested Japan become the first emerging nation to host the tournament four years later.
RWCL is an arm of the International Rugby Board. The final decision will be made by the IRB council on July 28th.
England, who last staged the World Cup in 1991, earned the valuable RWCL recommendation ahead of rivals South Africa and Italy due to the financial strength of their bid. The RFU pitched a “low risk, high reward” tournament that would maximise revenues for the IRB, allowing the game to take a step into the unknown in 2019.
World Cup chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “After detailed review the board decided England and Japan would provide the best balanced combination of hosts for the continued worldwide development of the game. A tournament in England would allow the IRB to maximise funding available for investment in the game through a strong commercial programme and a great RWC showcase.
“The RWCL Board believes that a Rugby World Cup in Japan would provide a gateway to the further development and expansion of the game in Asia, reaching out to new young fans and providing a superb spectacle for the sport.”
The 2015 Rugby World Cup would fall in the middle of the so-called “Decade of Sport”, which could see Britain hosting the three biggest sporting events in the world. On the back of the London Olympics, the government believe a successful bid from the RFU would provide the Football Association’s campaign to host the 2018 World Cup with a shot in the arm.
The government has agreed to underwrite part of the €94 million tournament fee the RFU would be liable for in 2015 and provide all security outside of the stadia. A recent independent report concluded hosting a Rugby World Cup was worth €2.5 billion to the British economy.
Don Foster, spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport in Britain, said: “This is a major milestone on the journey towards the awarding of the Rugby World Cup 2015. If the IRB picks England to be the host nation at its meeting next month it will be a huge achievement and a real boost for both the sport and the economy.
“We also have high hopes for the football World Cup 2018 bid. There is a great chance of a decade of world-class sport in Britain.”
England would use iconic stadia such as Wembley, Anfield, Old Trafford and the Emirates Stadium for the tournament, with the final to be played at Twickenham.
The RWCL board have also indicated a strong preference for all future World Cups to be staged in just one country “unless compelling reasons can be presented”. The RFU are confident that would not affect England’s plan to lease the Millennium Stadium as there would be no co-hosting arrangement with the Welsh union.
Japan want to split one of the pools between Hong Kong and Singapore with the aim of making the tournament a pan-Asian event, which the IRB are likely to accept as a compelling reason.
