England to be awarded World Cup, shame it's not the rugby version

By Brian Dick on Jul 27, 09 12:10 PM in Rugby

The IRB is understood to be on the brink of rubber stamping the selection of England as hosts for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

White smoke is expected to emanate from the game's tallest chimneys at some stage tomorrow, in support of the preference made by RWC Ltd.

Yet confirmation of the most done of deals and the opportunity to see the world's finest oval ball exponents will leave me with a sense that our sport has been jilted.

In including just two club stadiums - Leicester and Gloucester - and eight football arenas on its schedule the RFU has effectively sold the game out when it had an opportunity to show everything that is great about English rugby.

Rugby deserts such as the ones surrounding Anfield, Old Trafford, the Emirates and Southampton's St Mary's ground are deemed more suitable locations than Sixways or the Stoop despite their reputations for brilliant atmospheres.

The reason? Bums on seats. Twenty thousand at some irrelevant Air-fix venue is more important than 15,000 at one of the game's traditional settings.

Thus a chance to show off the Premiership and acquaint the floating voter with the beauty and practicality of getting to a proper rugby stadium has been squandered. All for a few quid.

It's almost as though no-one at the RFU has ever been to Vicarage Road.