Government support key to World Cup bid, says Beaumont

Lions legend Bill Beaumont said that full Government support and strong partnerships with the GAA and other sporting bodies will be the key to a successful IRFU bid to stage the Rugby World Cup in 2023.

Beaumont, chairman of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) which hosts the tournament next year, said that they learned key lessons from the time they started their bidding process.

He has been a member of the International Rugby Board (IRB) since 1999 and revealed that mounting a bid or hosting the tournament will not work unless the government of the country is 100% behind the venture.