World Cup model 'not working' says IRFU Chief Kevin Potts

The tournament, including the cost of financing the team’s campaign and the loss of Autumn Nations Series revenues had a net negative impact to the IRFU of €12.1m.

NOT WORKING: IRFU CEO, Kevin Potts said the Rugby Workd Cup is "not working" after the national governing body recorded a deficit of €18.4 million for the year including the 2023 tournament. 

IRFU chief executive Kevin Potts said the Rugby World Cup is “not working” after the national governing body recorded a deficit of €18.4 million for the year including the 2023 tournament.

With no prize money on offer at World Cup, Ireland did not miss out on revenues from a run beyond the quarter-finals, where they eliminated by New Zealand in Paris 13 months ago. Yet the staging of the global tournament in the autumn every four years denies the Six Nations Unions valuable gate receipts with the cancellation of the Autmn Nations Series and that was reflected when the IRFU published its annual accounts to July 31, 2024 at its Continuation AGM in Dublin on Thursday.