THE Celtic nations are pushing a unique joint bid to host the 2015 Rugby World Cup across Britain and Ireland.
All four home unions have registered official interest in tendering for the next tournament after New Zealand 2011 as part of the new IRB host bid process, with Scotland, Ireland and Wales also having noted interest in 2019. The decision on the host
s for both 2015 and 2019 events will be taken at the IRB Council meeting in May, 2009.
There are four other nations involved in the 2015 bidding process – South Africa, Australia, Italy and Japan – while Jamaica and Russia have said they are also interested in 2019. However, with ten days to go until formal tenders must be lodged with the IRB, Gordon McKie, the SRU chief executive, revealed that the home unions were discussing a joint British and Irish bid.
Britain, Ireland and France joint-hosted tournaments in 1991 and 1999, whilst the French could have hosted the last northern hemisphere World Cup alone, but shifted games to Scotland and Wales in a political move to secure votes at the bidding stage. There is now a global push for tournaments to be hosted by one nation, so avoiding cross-border logistics and politics, but the IRB has demanded profit guarantees of at least £100 million from 2015 and £120m in 2019 which has put the tournament out of reach of many leading rugby nations acting on their own.
Aside from the finance requirements, McKie explained that a key reason for courting England was also the difficulties in obtaining football grounds during the World Cup window of September and October.
McKie told The Scotsman: "We are discussing the matter with our own Scottish Rugby Board, Scottish Rugby Council and with the IRB as regards where, when and what stadiums we might need before deciding whether to proceed on 30 September.
"But, we are also in discussions with the other home unions, recognising that a collective four-union bid would be a very powerful proposition given the window we have for the tournament.
"Most, if not all, four unions would have a requirement for football stadiums if they were to go it alone, so it may be better to keep it all within rugby and involve all the (home] unions in one bid. We are communicating with the RFU, WRU and IRFU.
"We are discussing various permutations, but as yet nothing has been ruled in and nothing ruled out. It may not happen on this occasion because it may prove not to be the right thing to do, but what we are doing is thoroughly evaluating the opportunity.
"We are also discussing the matter with central and local government in Scotland, with the obvious implications for the Scottish economy, and they are helping us in evaluating the opportunity."
McKie's Welsh counterpart Roger Lewis was very enthusiastic about the idea of a UK-wide World Cup and more forthcoming on the talks so far.
"Each country would host a pool and a quarter-final with England staging the semi-finals and final at Twickenham," said the WRU chief executive.
"We have got to recognise that Twickenham is rugby's greatest cash generator – it holds over 80,000. There is serious finance involved in hosting the World Cup, so we must get it right.
"I think, personally, the 2015 Rugby World Cup has to be staged in the northern hemisphere and, therefore, in a celebration of British and Irish rugby, I believe it should be staged by the four home unions with matches in Wales, England, Ireland and Scotland.
"Spreading the bid across the four nations also means virtually all the matches would be played at established rugby grounds like the Millennium Stadium, Twickenham, Murrayfield and Lansdowne Road. I would prefer matches to take place at iconic rugby venues."
An Irish RFU spokesman added: "We are very much supportive of that plan, which is similar to the 1991 tournament without the French involvement. This seems to us to be the best way forward for rugby across Britain and Ireland."
However, the RFU was more tight-lipped. A spokesman insisted it had not discussed the issue with the other home unions, stating: "We have formally expressed an interest in hosting the 2015 Rugby World Cup, but have taken no decisions due to the size of the financial guarantees required.
"We are currently conducting a feasibility study to determine the financial viability of hosting the World Cup on the tender terms announced. No discussions have taken place with Scotland, Ireland or Wales on a joint bid."
The RFU would not be drawn on whether it was something it would consider before 30 September, but, having lost the 2007 tournament to rival bidders France largely due to failing to land the support of the Celtic unions, officials are acutely aware of the need to have their neighbours on side this time around.
As founding members of the IRB, the home unions still carry significant influence and while the IRB have improved the bidding process, and France are not in the running this time, it remains highly questionable England would win widespread support in the face of a financially strong bid from Japan without cutting some kind of deal with the Celtic unions.
The last time they delivered what insiders said was the most professional and innovative proposal, which also offered financial recompense to the home unions for the loss of autumn Tests, but even that was not enough to curry favour.
The deal outlined by Lewis would, however, throw up serious earning potential to the respective unions, provided in the SRU's case they had significantly better marketing plans than was the case in 1999. Much will hinge on the RFU's determination to go it alone.
The full article contains 973 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
