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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.
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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.
(Continue reading below…)
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.
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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.
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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
Billy's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
2 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
1 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
1 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
2 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
28 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can still get in to the Play Off’s. The imminent return of outstanding captain Scott Barrett and his All Black team mate Codie Taylor will be a big boost.There are others like Tamaiti Williams too. Two home games coming up. Fellow Crusader fans get there and support these guys. I will be.
2 Go to commentsCant get more Wellington than Proctor.
3 Go to commentsWhy not let the media decide. Like how they choose the head coach. Like most of us we entrust the rugby system to choose. A rugby team includes the coaches. It's collective.
14 Go to commentsHi NIck, I have been very impressed with him and he seems a smart player who can see opportunities which Bobby V _(who must be an international 6_) doesn’t see or have the speed to take advantage of. If he continues to improve and puts on 5kgs then he could be a great 8. He is a bit taller than Keiran Reid at 1.93m and 111 kgs, so his skill set fits his body size and who knows where it will lead. I hope the spate of Achilles tendon issues have been dealt with by the S&C people. It’s been a very long time since Mark Loane and Kefu stood out at 8. The question is will we be able to hold onto him, if he does make it he will be pretty hot property. I disagree with the idea of letting them go to the Northern Hemisphere and then bring them back.
28 Go to commentsBilly Fulton 🤣🤣🤣🤣 garrrmon not even close
14 Go to comments