Wembley key to Cup bid

THE new Wembley Stadium is an integral part of the Rugby Football Union’s revised bid to bring the 2007 World Cup to England.

Wembley has entered the equation, along with Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, Edinburgh’s Murrayfield and Leicester’s Walkers Stadium and the new bid, unveiled at Twickenham today, now includes five 60,000-plus capacity stadia.

The RFU expects the extra venues to drive up ticket revenue by 25% and help fund a £20 million compensation policy for rugby nations and competitions around the world which lose revenue as a result of the World Cup.