World Cup bid already looks holed below the waterline

What a disaster. Ireland’s race to host the 2023 World Cup exclusively in this country is, on the face of it, all but run before even reaching the starting line of World Rugby’s council vote in London on November 15, writes Donal Lenihan.

By emerging third from the list of the three bidders, after a forensic independent audit carried out by World Rugby’s technical review group, behind France and South Africa, the governing body has sent a clear message to its council members by unanimously declaring its support for South Africa, two weeks in advance of the last step in the bidding programme, the final vote.

In an effort to avoid the type of subterfuge that has followed similar bidding processes for the soccer World Cup and Olympic Games, rugby’s equivalent has attempted to be as clear and open as possible on this occasion as to why they are making their preference clear in advance of the council vote.