England To Host Rwc In 2015
England has been named as the host nation for the Rugby World Cup in 2015, beating off rival bids from South Africa and Italy.
The International Rugby Board (IRB) announced England as the host of the 2015 event with Japan to host the tournament in 2019 following a vote of the IRB Council in Dublin.
England were heavily tipped to land the event after the competition’s organisers recommended their bid to the IRB Council.
The RFU claims England would lay on the biggest World Cup to date, generating a surplus at least £60m bigger than that of the other bids.
The bid also predicted three million people would watch the games live at stadiums such as Wembley, Anfield, Old Trafford and Twickenham.
The RFU also hopes to stage matches at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, even though Wales would not be co-hosts for the tournament.
England received 16 votes from the 24-strong IRB Council to emerge victorious. England was a co-host of the tournament in 1991 and 1999.
IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset commented: ‘All the tenders were of a very high standard and each Union demonstrated that they could host an excellent Rugby World Cup. It is a tribute to the health of the Game and the enormous prestige of RWC that the competing bids were so strong.
‘Both Italy and South Africa submitted extensive and compelling tenders. I would like to thank them on behalf of the IRB Council for the quality of their work and their dedication to the process. The Tender Analysis Report and the RWCL Board’s recommendation were carefully studied by the Council and their assessment concluded that the selection of England and Japan would provide the best combination of host Unions to drive the ongoing development of the Game worldwide.
‘We believe that the succession of England and Japan as host nations for RWC will create new opportunities and help maximise commercial revenues for re-investment in the game. It is an exciting combination for Rugby World Cup and one which we think will enable the sport to reach developing rugby markets and therefore contribute to the continued growth of the game and its values worldwide.
‘The commercial success of RWC is an important element in the progression of our game and means that developing Rugby markets be considered for the tournament to both reflect and assist the game’s strategic vision and evolution.
‘We are confident that England will deliver a spectacular tournament in 2015 and that Japan, as the first Rugby World Cup host nation in Asia, will mark the beginning of a very exciting chapter in the history of this great tournament.
‘I would like to congratulate both Unions on their selection and the IRB looks forward to working with them on what promise to be two very special Rugby World Cup tournaments,’ added Lapasset.
Said Francis Baron, CEO of the RFU: ‘We have made a commitment to the IRB Council to host the most successful tournament ever, building on the outstanding success of France 2007 and what we are sure will be a great tournament in New Zealand in 2011.
‘We will not disappoint them. We will host a festival of rugby that will fill our iconic stadia with excited fans and deliver a global platform for the game. We can’t wait to get going and would like to thank the IRB Council for giving us this honour.’
