French offer World Cup games to Celtic nations

France have confirmed they will stage pool matches in Scotland, Wales and Ireland if their bid to host the 2007 World Cup is successful.

The decision of the French Rugby Federation to include the Celtic nations in their final plans effectively cancels out one of the chief bargaining tools of rival bidders England.

The FFR today confirmed their intentions to take games to Murrayfield, the Millennium Stadium and Lansdowne Road as president Bernard Lapasset presented their final bid in Paris.

The International Rugby Board will choose the hosts next month but it now seems that whatever the outcome, Scotland, Wales and Ireland will get the chance to play games at home.

Each would stage pool matches under the French proposal with Wales also putting on one of the quarter-finals.

“There is one novelty as from the original draft,” said Lapasset, whose bid includes 13 venues. “We wish to open the match hosting to other countries from the northern hemisphere.

“The World Cup is not only the World Cup of one country, but the opportunity to honour the development of rugby and allow other nations to take advantage of the profit generated by this World Cup.

“This share of matches is part of the tradition. We cannot do without this spirit of solidarity which has been existing in the northern hemisphere for ages.”

The rest of the bid, meanwhile, has not had any major change from their draft which was presented on October 30. The FFR’s proposal states that 100 teams, more than ever before, will compete in qualifying, from which 20 will emerge to contest the finals tournament.

The 20 teams will then be divided into four pools of five teams each, with the two best-placed teams in each pool qualifying for the quarter-finals.

The dates have not changed either, with the tournament pencilled in for September 7-October 20, as opposed to England’s plans for a June start.

He added: “Hosting the event in September and October is less difficult to organise.

“The English want to host it in June, but in June and July, there is Wimbledon, Roland Garros, the Tour de France, and some Grands Prix as well.

“Choosing September and October makes this World Cup stronger economically. At that period only football can disturb media coverage.”