Have the Irish finally stopped licking their bid wounds and identified a better strategy to host a World Cup?
Once bitten, twice shy? Only time will tell whether this age-old proverb is definitively cast in stone when it comes to the IRFU and bidding to host the World Cup.
When they staggered out of a Kensington hotel in London in November 2017 with their attempt to win the rights to the 2023 tournament embarrassingly shattered, long-serving CEO Philip Browne gritted his teeth and admitted: “There’s no politics like sporting politics.”
He had just had his arse smacked in rugby’s corridor of power, Ireland eliminated from a three-way race with a miserly eight votes out of a possible 39, three coming from old rivals England.
All the more humiliating was how Celtic cousins, the likes of Scotland and Wales, turned the other cheek as did Italy, the impoverished rugby nation the IRFU had done so much to help over the years.
Having spent the guts of 18 months travelling the world politicking and canvassing votes elsewhere, an exhaustive itinerary that even included a visit to Outer Mongolia of all places, the nine votes – three each for the Scots, Welsh and Italians – that would have given their bid oxygen in the election room were all mislaid.
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The Irish had forgotten the first rule of politics: doorstep your neighbour and keep on doing it until you know their vote will 100 per cent be cast the way you want it to. All the more galling was how the IRFU never really grasped until the damning election result was announced how out of depth they had been all along.
Even after World Rugby’s evaluation report had emerged some weeks earlier, a review where Ireland failed to top rivals South Africa and France in any of the five main criteria – vision and hosting concept, organisation and schedule, venues and host cities, tournament infrastructure, and finance, commercial and commitments, they carried on in denial, somehow believing everything would magically be all right on the night.
The fairytale never materialised and before making a hasty getaway from the scene of their devastation, the stark message was never again would they bid for the World Cup.
. @BrianODriscoll on:
Punditry gaffes ☑️
Saracens cheating ☑️
Scrum-wasting ☑️
& Ireland hosting a RWC ☑️– as told to @heagneyl 👨💼https://t.co/cxLb2YxThY
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 17, 2019
“Not under these parameters,” said Browne, heading for the exit after a bid idea that germinated when attending the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand had been so publicly shredded.
To the victor go the spoils. Just this week, World Rugby, fresh from the razzmatazz that was the soaraway success of hosting the 2019 finals in the Far East, breezily revealed it had concluded its first official coordination meetings in Paris since the hosting ball was passed from Japan 2019 to France 2023 earlier this November.
Its checklist was busily getting ticked. Host city agreements signed with Saint-Etienne, Lille, Nantes, Marseille, Nice and Toulouse. A ‘bold and ambitious’ manifesto launched for nationwide youth and community engagement. Swanky new tournament headquarters opened in Paris. Over 1.7million reported views of a ‘Rendezvous en France en 2023’ video. And more than one million fan registrations to the Rendezvous en France en 2023 database.
Japan and Rugby World Cup upsets.
Name a more iconic duo 🤩 pic.twitter.com/UCzGGZii3C
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) November 22, 2019
Less breezily received this past week was Brian O’Driscoll’s admission to RugbyPass that the embittered IRFU just might eventually stop licking its wounds, get around to having a rethink about all this World Cup bid malarkey and ultimately have another cut at trying to host the tournament.
The former IRFU bid ambassador had just been to Japan, a vibrant experience that seemed to rekindle in him the notion that anything Yokohama could do in hosting a final, Dublin could do just as good or even better if given the chance.
“You have got to try and push into a new market where we haven’t seen before,” he said about future World Cup destinations. “So 2027, if they choose America or if they decide to come to Ireland, either of them I am pretty cool with.”
As it stands, just three countries – Argentina, Australia and Russia – have officially declared their interest in hosting the 2027 finals, but O’Driscoll’s suggestion regarding Ireland didn’t sound like some spontaneous response conjured up on the spot as the all-important politics were something he has also already considered even though a fourth successive northern hemisphere-based finals after England, Japan and France might not be in World Rugby’s best interests.
“I think we have to probably look at a different model and sharing games with the UK, with Wales, England and Scotland probably, and not expect to do the whole thing ourselves,” he said.
“That is maybe the area where we potentially fell down in guaranteeing votes. There is a lot of politics in sport and maybe we were a little bit naive with the thought we were going to get a Rugby World Cup after (the tournament) going to another new territory in Japan.
“The obvious choice was to come back to one of the strongholds in South Africa or France, but when it comes around again and if we put our hat in the ring I’d be more hopeful that we might get a positive result next time.”
It’s a potentially canny ruse, guaranteeing the votes of your neighbours by offering them some matches. On reflection, not having this on the table two years ago was likely a fatal flaw. After all, sharing had been the name of the game in these parts.
Look at how England 2015 had eight of its 48 matches farmed to the Welsh Rugby Union’s Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Eight years earlier, France 2007 had given away six matches, four to the WRU’s Cardiff and another three to the Scottish Rugby Union’s Edinburgh.
Et toi ? T'en penses quoi Marcel ? 🤔
Rendez-vous en France en 2023 ! 🇫🇷#WeAre2023
Rejoins la communauté 👉 https://t.co/ftULVUj8mI pic.twitter.com/MfOhA9Tw9X
— Rugby World Cup France 2023 (@France2023) November 2, 2019
It all dated back to when former WRU chairman Glanmor Griffiths brokered a deal with the French, England, Irish and Scottish rugby unions that enabled Wales to be the main host of the 1999 World Cup. In return for backing the WRU, the other nations hosted some of the games during that tournament and shared in profits.
The IRFU’s ambition to go it alone in 2017 was curious in the sense that an agreement between the WRU and IRFU in 1998 allegedly had a clause stipulating that if Ireland ever hosted the tournament it would effectively be bound to pay a fee to the WRU at least 20 per cent of the net financial benefits generated.
It was said when Ireland was formulating its 2023 bid that this agreement no longer applied. Fair enough, but the kickback was the Welsh votes ultimately going elsewhere when it mattered.
No politics like sporting politics? You bet.
WATCH: RugbyPass looks back on some of our favourite moments with the fans from the 2019 World Cup in Japan
Comments on RugbyPass
The Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
3 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to comments