South Africa pulling daggers from its back yet again

Why didn’t South Africa win the right to host Rugby World Cup 2023? That is the question being grappled at the moment because it seems, not for the first time, the country is pulling daggers from its back.

A World Rugby technical review committee scored South Africa’s bid the highest in an independent assessment and yet France won 24 votes to South Africa’s 15 when it came to the crunch. That was after Ireland dropped out in the first round.

“You’ll have to ask the delegates that voted against us that question because we were the preferred candidate,” SA Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux said.