Welford Road omitted from World Cup venue list

Welford Road, the home of Leicester Tigers and the biggest club rugby ground in England, has been axed as a potential venue for the 2015 World Cup.

The ground, which has been Leicester’s home for 120 years, has been left off the long list of 17 stadia published by tournament organisers England Rugby 2015.

Gloucester’s Kingsholm is the only Aviva Premiership rugby ground on a list that includes Twickenham, the Olympic Stadium, Wembley, the Millennium Stadium and some of the biggest club football stadia in the country. The home grounds of Manchester United, Newcastle, Sunderland, Aston Villa and Southampton have all been included after expressing an interest in staging World Cup matches.