Sport

Rugby World Cup awarded to England, Japan

Article published on the 2009-07-28 Latest update 2009-07-28 16:27 TU

Isaac Ross (C) of New Zealand's All Blacks is tackled by Victor Matfield (L) of South Africa, 25 July 2009.
(Photo: Reuters)

England is to host the 2015 Rugby World Cup, while Japan will host the 2019 edition, the International Rugby Board (IRB) announced in Dublin Tuesday.

It will be the first tournament in Asia, which organisers say presents great growth opportunities for the sport. The last time England hosted the tournament was in 1991, when Will Carling's English side were beaten in the final by Australia.

The English beat out bids from South Africa and Italy with a “low risk, high return” proposal which purports that it will earn 348 million euros for the IRB, who rely on the tournament for 98 percent of their income.

That figure is understood to be at least 20 percent more than the bids from either South Africa or Italy and 50 percent greater than France generated from the 2007 World Cup.

The IRB will bolster revenues from the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand - which is currently estimated to make an operating loss of between 20-30 million pounds - by tying television rights for both tournaments in one package.

Francis Baron, CEO of the English Rugby Football Union, said: "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."