Rugby
Tom Hamilton, Senior Writer 7y

Breaking down the bids to host the Rugby World Cup in 2023

Rugby

Monday saw the three potential host nations outline their plans and hopes for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. France, Ireland and South Africa all presented to World Rugby's council for what they hope will be the winning bid to host the sport's showpiece event in six years' time.

Here we look at each of their bids and compare the facts behind them.

France

How much are they guaranteeing to World Rugby?

Each nation has to make a minimal financial guarantee of £120m to World Rugby which stands as the tournament fee. France have put together a package worth in the region of €500m. Breaking it down, this is how it works: they have made the guarantee of £150m to World Rugby (€171m) which is £30m on top of the fee, alongside offering to buy the hospitality programme and marketing rights from World Rugby for a combined €112m and covering tournament expenses to the tune of €236m.

What's their plan for accommodation and tickets?

Having hosted the 2007 World Cup, football's 1998 World Cup, EuroBasket 2015 and UEFA Euro 2016, they are well set to host global events and will have plenty of accommodation for travelling supporters. The plan is to offer the same-priced tickets as those available at the 2015 World Cup with half the tickets offered at under €100 and 350,000 less than €50.

What did they say about transport and grounds?

The rail network is renowned and they say no team will have to travel longer than four hours by train. Stadia-wise, they have put forward nine host cities with Toulouse's Stadium Municipal the smallest at 33,150 which have all been upgraded ahead of the 2016 euros.

Which well-known figures were in London?

French Rugby Federation president Bernard Laporte was in London alongside the country's sports minister Laura Fissel. Ex-No.8 and face of the 2007 World Cup Sebastian Chabal was also there, while mercurial fly-half Frederic Michalak has been part of their bid and was in the audience. They also drafted in the late Jonah Lomu's two sons to back up their bid with the elder of the two, Dhyreille, born in Marseille. They have also received widespread support from the wider sports community including Olympic champions Gevrise Emane and Florent Manaudou.

Ireland

How much are they guaranteeing to World Rugby?

The Irish government will pay the £120m fee to World Rugby, but other financial guarantees have been kept confidential.

What's their plan for accommodation and tickets?

The IRFU CEO Philip Browne used the recent St Patrick's Day weekend as an example of how they can cope with hosting multiple big events in Dublin. In that instance Dublin had an influx of visitors for the annual St Patrick's Day festivals, supporters travelling over for the Ireland-England Six Nations match and GAA fixtures also taking place. They say they have "a range of accommodation options to comfortably transport and accommodate all visitors to RWC 2023" and say they have 12.2m "bed night options" available against the required 2.7m for the tournament. Ticket-wise, they are planning on having prices as low as €15 for supporters travelling.

What did they say about transport and grounds?

They highlighted the close proximity of venues to one another in their bid, saying all but one of the grounds is within a two-hour journey of Dublin. They have proposed 12 stadia on a long list as being part of their bid with GAA grounds included alongside rugby hotbeds. The one thing they need to pay close attention to is Belfast's Casement Park which is still being developed. They also emphasised how the country has five international airports with 44m passengers passing through Ireland's airports last year.

Which well-known figures were in London?

Brian O'Driscoll and the country's Taoiseach Leo Varadkar were present in London to pitch to World Rugby while Liam Neeson and Bob Geldof have featured in the videos produced to back up their claim to host the tournament. Ireland women's captain Niamh Briggs was also in London and narrated their premier video presented to World Cup while their oversight board also includes Olympic pentathlon gold medallist Dame Mary Peters.

South Africa

How much are they guaranteeing to World Rugby?

Their total guarantee comes together at about £220m to World Rugby. This consists of the £120m fee, an additional tournament pledge of £40m, a commercial offer of £35m for hospitality, travel and private catering rights and what they label 'expense savings' of £25m as "a pound goes much further in South Africa than in Europe". SARU CEO Jurie Roux put this in plain terms when he said you can get three beers in South Africa for the price of one in France or Ireland.

What's their plan for accommodation and tickets?

Like France, the country has hosted multiple large sport events with the delegation name-checking football's 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Sports minister Mkesi said "we don't need to find hotel rooms" as the country is ready to welcome the world. What sets them apart here is their pledge to the players that all teams will be in one hotel for the duration, meaning they do not have to check in and check out from game to game. Regarding tickets, they say 2.9m will be put on sale, 400,000 more than the 2015 World Cup.

What did they say about transport and grounds?

The stadia are ready to host the tournament with their delegation name-checking when they hosted football's tournament seven years ago and the Cricket World Cup in 2003. "We don't need to build new stadia or upgrade old ones", said Mkesi as South Africa put together their 'triple-win bid' to host the competition. Regarding the grounds available, four meet World Rugby's requirements to host a final and they boast "eight rugby and true multi-purpose, all-seater, world-class match venues". It will be harder for fans to travel from one city to another, however -- in a fair few cases it will involve thorough planning and air fares.

Which well-known figures were in London?

South Africa's deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa headlined their bid alongside sports minister Nxesi while SARU CEO Roux was also present alongside World Cup-winning captains Francois Pienaar and John Smit.

^ Back to Top ^