Interest High in Hosting 2023 Rugby World Cup -- On the Scene

(ATR) The IRB’s head of Rugby World Cup has told ATR that he hopes up to five countries bid to host the tournament in 2023.

Alan Gilpin was speaking to ATR at the IRB ConfEx in London less than a year before England plays host to the 2015 showpiece.

Japan will then host the tournament in 2019 in what will be the first tournament of its kind to be hosted in Asia and also in a country that is not a tier-one union.

The IRB is heavily targeting global growth of the sport and revealed that talks were beginning about the hosting of the 2023 event,which won’t be decided until 2017.

Gilpin told ATR, "We’re in three bid processes now. We’re about to enter the bid process for the next Women’s World Cup in 2017. We’re in the midst of a World Cup sevens 2018 bid process, and then in the first part of next year we will launch formally the 2023 World Cup bid process.

"On that, the two nations who have strongly come out and declared their interest are South Africa and Ireland. There are others in that conversation with us in the mix that I probably can’t mention now.

"But we’re confident they’ll be three, four, five strong nations interested in that and the key thing we’re stressing to those member unions of those interested in bidding is align with your governments and stakeholders now, get your planning in place, get your relationships in place, get your governmental support in place and then let’s really get into a serious conversation in the first half of next year."

The official bidding process would not begin until May 2016 leaving a year before the ultimate decision in 2017.

Gilpin added that the IRB was encouraging bids from all member associations and that they were even open to changing the dates of the tournament should a potential host wish to do so.

"I think we would be [flexible in dates]" he said. "At the moment for the last two tournaments and the next two, the window is quite well established as September-October. As you will be aware, there are a lot of conversations going on in rugby about a more integrated global calendar. Rugby World Cup obviously plays a part in that, albeit only once every four years.

"So those are all things we’ll continue to look at, and absolutely if - as part of that more holistic approach - there’s a desire to look at a different World Cup hosting window, that’s something we’ll take on board."

Jevans Taking Olympic Lessons Into England 2015

When England 2015 appointed Debbie Jevans as their new CEO, it was off the back of her experience as director of sport at London 2012.

That experience has been vital in her new role, according to Jevans who was speaking at the IRB conference at London’s Hilton Metropole.

Jevans oversaw the delivery of multiple events at the Games and will oversee a Rugby World Cup that is expected by almost everyone involved in the sport – including IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset – to be the biggest ever in the event's history.

Succeeding in that will be down to how well the organizing committee works with local authorities in the different host cities across the country, said Jevans.

"One of key things we learned from 2012 is that you can never deliver anything alone. The only way you have any chance of success is delivering in partnership with your stakeholders. That’s something equally important to us. Whatever the size of an event, you can only deliver it in partnership.

"Going into the Olympics we had many meetings from Transport for London, to the home office and government, and the partnerships came together. There is far more willingness and openness to work together. Local authorities needed to be told about road closures, so that once the event came around you had engagement already.

"Certainly taking that lesson of partnerships from the Olympics has made it easier. You can never plan enough or test enough. We’re just beginning our testing program for 2015 which we’ll do at the [England v] Samoa match on Saturday."

A number of facilities and scenarios will be tested at the match at Twickenham – the stadium which will host, among others, the opening match and the final of England 2015.

Another aspect of the Games featuring in the tournament will be the London Olympic Stadium, which will host a number of pools matches and the third place match.

IRB Becomes World Rugby

The conference finished with a flourish as the IRB officially became World Rugby, as part of the organisation’s rebranding process.

The new logo was unveiled by CEO Brett Gosper, who said the new brand would "align the organisations objectives" as well as helping it appear more "inclusive" to new territories.

World Rugby chairman Bernard Lapasset said, "Today's launch embodies our mission statement to grow the global rugby family beyond our traditional family and fan base and reflects the federation's evolution from rugby regulator to rugby inspirer."

Rebranding is not unfamiliar to the organization as they changed their name in 1998 from the International Rugby Football Board to the IRB.

Now, they hope that World Rugby will be a name that sticks around and that it ultimately helps the sport to grow.

Reported by Christian Radnedge

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