England and Japan Recommended for 2015 + 19 Rugby World Cups

Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) has recommended England to the IRB Council as host of Rugby World Cup 2015 and Japan as host of Rugby World Cup 2019.

The recommendation comes after a comprehensive tender analysis process involving evaluation and independent financial, commercial and legal analysis of each of the tenders.

“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 field was so strong,” said RWCL Chairman Bernard Lapasset.

“Both Italy and South Africa submitted comprehensive tenders with very strong government support and would be capable of hosting outstanding Rugby World Cup tournaments now or in the future. I would like to thank and congratulate them both for the quality of their tenders. However, there could only be two recommended Unions and after detailed review, the RWCL Board decided that England and Japan would provide the best balanced combination of hosts for the continued world-wide development of the game.”

As the world’s third-largest sporting event, the Rugby World Cup is the driving force behind the global development of Rugby worldwide.

The tournament’s commercial success provides the IRB with the platform to invest £150 million between 2009-2012 across all 116 Member Unions in the form of annual Union grants and the strategic investment programme that is designed to increase the competitiveness 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. In the heart of the UK’s proposed Decade of Sport, RWCL believes that the RFU will deliver a RWC that will capture the imagination, attract strong attendances at superb venues and maximise the festival experience for the millions of attending supporters,” Lapasset said.

“In finalising the recommendation for RWC 2019, 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 RWCL Board is also recommending that, unless compelling reasons can be presented for matches to be held in other territories, they should only be held in the respective Host Unions as a matter of principle.

The recommendation on the RWC 2015 and RWC 2019 Host Unions is the culmination of an extensive analysis process that kicked off in August 2008.

The 74-page recommendation report will now be sent to the IRB Council for consideration before it selects the Host Unions for Rugby World Cup 2015 and Rugby World Cup 2019 at a Special Meeting in Dublin on July 28.

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