England bids for 2015 RWC

BBC Sports - Wednesday, May 06, 2009 1:46 PM

ENGLAND will bid to host the 2015 Rugby World Cup, the Rugby Football Union confirmed on Tuesday.

Details of the bid will be made public after it is presented to the International Rugby Board on 13 May.

Twickenham, Wembley and Old Trafford have been mentioned as possible venues, together with the Millennium Stadium, the home of Welsh rugby union.

"We believe it is time that we brought the tournament back to England," said RFU chief executive Francis Baron.

"The Rugby World Cup is one of the greatest competitions on our sporting calendar and we here in Wales are proud to be associated with its success," said WRU group chief executive Roger Lewis.

"I know the RFU have worked hard on their proposal and I can promise them that everyone involved in rugby in Wales would work tirelessly to ensure the competition is a massive success."

Other countries in the running are South Africa - hosts in 1995 - Japan and Italy. Bids to host the tournament must be submitted by 8 May.

The IRB will vote on the hosts for both the 2015 and 2019 World Cups on 28 July.
New Zealand will stage the 2011 Rugby World Cup.