Ireland's RWC bid officials ready to counter France 2023 ’mobilisation’

Ireland’s Rugby World Cup 2023 bid officials are confident they can counter any attempts by rivals France to hijack this Saturday’s Six Nations clash between the two countries at Aviva Stadium.

The French officially launched their own bid to stage the 2023 tournament in Paris a fortnight ago, promising a “massive mobilisation” of French rugby to win the World Rugby Council vote to host the event this November. They plan to further their campaign this weekend by having all their national teams wear #France 2023 logos on their jerseys during the games in their rivals’ backyard with the women’s teams and U20s also playing in Dublin, at Donnybrook.

Les Bleus wore the 2023 logos for the first time on February 12 in their home game with Scotland at Stade de France but taking them into the heartland of a bid competitor this weekend represents a major ramping up of their message delivery.