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2015 Rugby World Cup

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2015 Rugby World Cup
Tournament details
Host nation England
Dates18 September – 31 October
No. of nations20

The 2015 Rugby World Cup is scheduled to be the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament will be hosted by England[nb 1] from 18 September to 31 October 2015.[1] Twickenham Stadium in London will host the final.

England was chosen to host the competition in July 2009, beating rival bids from Italy, Japan and South Africa. The competition's organisers, Rugby World Cup Limited, had recommended England to the International Rugby Board (IRB; now known as World Rugby[nb 2])[3]

Of the 20 teams competing at the 2015 World Cup, 12 of them qualified by finishing in the top three places in their pools in the 2011 World Cup. The other eight teams qualified through regional competition. Of the 20 countries that competed in the previous World Cup in 2011, there was only one change – Uruguay replaced Russia.

Bids

Submission of interest

The International Rugby Board (IRB) requested that any member unions wishing to host this tournament or the 2019 Rugby World Cup should indicate their interest by 15 August 2008. This would be purely to indicate interest; no details had to be provided at this stage. A record ten unions indicated formal interest in hosting the 2015 and/or the 2019 events: Australia, England, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Russia, Scotland, South Africa and Wales.[4] Argentina had been reported in early 2008 as having given preliminary consideration to bidding,[5] but did not ultimately formally indicate an interest in bidding.

Of the 10 nations that had expressed formal interest, many withdrew their candidacy in early 2009. Jamaica was the first to withdraw its candidacy.[6] Russia withdrew in February 2009 to concentrate on bidding for the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens,[7] Australia and Ireland withdrew in spring 2009 due to financial reasons.[8][9] Scotland withdrew in April 2009 after they were unable to secure co-hosting partners for the tournament.[10] Wales was the last nation to officially pull out after they failed to submit a bid by 8 May 2009,[11] but Wales backed England's bid and some games will be played at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.[12]

Final bids

The final nations that bid for the right to host the 2015 Rugby World Cup were England, Japan, South Africa and Italy. Four confirmed bids was a record number for the Rugby World Cup.[6]

On 28 July 2009, the IRB confirmed that England would host the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and Japan would host the 2019 event, having voted 16–10 in favour of approving the recommendation from Rugby World Cup Ltd (RWCL) that England and Japan should be named hosts.[13][14] RWCL chairman Bernard Lapasset revealed the result on 28 July 2009 at IRB headquarters.[13]

England

In September 2007, The Guardian reported that the Rugby Football Union had decided to submit a bid. BBC News reported in February 2009 that the intent was for a solo bid from the RFU, but with the possibility of some matches being played in Scotland, Wales or Ireland.[15] It was hoped that the 2015 World Cup would add to Britain's "Decade of Sport" (including the 2012 Summer Olympics).

It was also claimed that the bid had a very strong chance of success due to the IRB's belief that the 2011 tournament might make a loss, therefore making it particularly important to ensure a profit, which was considered a strong point of England's proposed bid.[16] The chief executive of the Rugby Football Union, Francis Baron, said that the tournament will target sales of 3 million tickets. England's package was projected to generate £300m for the IRB – £220m in commercial returns from broadcasting, sponsorship and merchandising, and the £80m tournament fee.[13]

Italy

Italy stated its desire to host,[17] and an Italian bid to host the Rugby World Cup in 2015 or 2019 was confirmed on 20 July 2008. Italy declared that it wanted to host "For the Enlargement of the Frontiers of Our Sport". It was a slogan relevant to the then-current landscape of World Cup rugby, given that 2007 was the first time that the Rugby World Cup was hosted primarily by a non-English-speaking country.

The Italian bid offered the largest cities and stadiums in the country and promised a fast domestic train system. The Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) also included the importance of the population and the growth of rugby since Italy joined the Six Nations in 2000 as reasons for hosting a World Cup. Rugby had been growing increasingly popular in Italy in recent years, with improved crowds at international matches.

The Stadio Olimpico in Rome had been proposed as the venue to host the final and the first match of the tournament. Milan and Naples were included as the other large venues. The entire list was a selection of large stadiums spread across the country. Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, France was also included as the tenth proposed venue.

Japan

The Japan Rugby Football Union officially submitted its tender to the IRB in May 2009.[18] Japan was seen as a favourite to host after finishing runner-up in the bidding for the 2011 event.[18] Japan was seen as having a lot to offer rugby's growth in Asia. Its population of 127 million, its large economy, and its ability to place rugby before a new Asian audience made it a front-runner for hosting rights. Furthermore, rugby in Japan has a developed a following, and with 126,000 registered players, Japan has more players than some of the Six Nations. Japan's Top League is a showcase for Japanese rugby, and there is excitement about Japan's entry into the RWC. Japan's experience in co-hosting the 2002 FIFA World Cup was seen as a boost, with Japan already possessing the necessary stadiums and infrastructure.

South Africa

The South African Rugby Union (SARU) had confirmed its intent to bid for the 2015 tournament,[19] and in May 2009 South Africa delivered its application to the IRB.[20] South Africa had previously made an unsuccessful bid to host the 2011 RWC. The strengths of a South African bid would be that it is in the same time zone as Europe, the wealthiest television market from a rugby perspective, that South Africa were the current World Cup holders, that they had successfully hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and that they were in the process of building large new stadiums for the then-upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Venues

After England were appointed tournament hosts on 28 July 2009, the proposed stadia for the tournament were revealed. The final venues were confirmed, along with the tournament's schedule, on 2 May 2013.[21] Twelve of the stadia are located in England while the Millennium Stadium is in Wales. In 2011 the IRB approved the use of the Millennium Stadium, despite being outside of the host country, due to its capacity and strategic location.[22] Out of the thirteen venues two are dedicated rugby union grounds (Kingsholm Stadium and Sandy Park); two are national rugby stadiums (Twickenham and the Millennium Stadium); two are multi-purpose (Wembley Stadium and Olympic Stadium) and the remainder are association football grounds.[23]

Proposed venues that did not make the final selection were the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, Coventry's Ricoh Arena, St Mary's Stadium in Southampton, Pride Park Stadium in Derby, Anfield in Liverpool and Bristol's Ashton Gate.[24] In April 2013 Old Trafford was withdrawn from consideration by its owners, Manchester United F.C., citing commitments to hosting rugby league and its Grand Final and concerns about pitch degradation. The RWCL then approached neighbouring Manchester City about leasing their home stadium as a replacement. City agreed to let their stadium be used for the tournament but only for one match due to footballing commitments - down from the original three which were to be played at Old Trafford.[25] The Etihad Stadium, as it is known for football sponsorship purposes, will be called 'Manchester City Stadium' by organisers for the duration of the tournament.[26]

London London Cardiff Manchester London
Twickenham Wembley Stadium Millennium Stadium Manchester City Stadium Olympic Stadium
51°27′22″N 0°20′30″W / 51.45611°N 0.34167°W / 51.45611; -0.34167 (Twickenham Stadium) 51°33′21″N 0°16′47″W / 51.55583°N 0.27972°W / 51.55583; -0.27972 (Wembley Stadium) 51°28′40″N 3°11′00″W / 51.47778°N 3.18333°W / 51.47778; -3.18333 (Millennium Stadium) 53°28′59″N 2°12′1″W / 53.48306°N 2.20028°W / 53.48306; -2.20028 (City of Manchester Stadium) 51°32′19″N 0°00′59″W / 51.53861°N 0.01639°W / 51.53861; -0.01639 (Olympic Stadium (London))
Capacity: 82,000 Capacity: 90,000 Capacity: 74,500 Capacity: 56,000
(upgraded)
Construction progress: by August 2015
[27]
Capacity: 54,000
Newcastle Birmingham
St. James' Park Villa Park
Capacity: 52,387 Capacity: 42,788
54°58′32″N 1°37′18″W / 54.97556°N 1.62167°W / 54.97556; -1.62167 (St James' Park) 52°30′33″N 1°53′5″W / 52.50917°N 1.88472°W / 52.50917; -1.88472 (Villa Park)
Leeds Leicester
Elland Road Leicester City Stadium
53°46′40″N 1°34′20″W / 53.77778°N 1.57222°W / 53.77778; -1.57222 (Elland Road) 52°37′13″N 1°8′32″W / 52.62028°N 1.14222°W / 52.62028; -1.14222 (Leicester City Stadium)
Capacity: 37,900 Capacity: 32,262
Gloucester Exeter Milton Keynes Brighton
Kingsholm Stadium Sandy Park Stadium mk Brighton Community Stadium
51°52′18″N 2°14′34″W / 51.87167°N 2.24278°W / 51.87167; -2.24278 (Kingsholm Stadium) 50°42′33.51″N 3°28′3.26″W / 50.7093083°N 3.4675722°W / 50.7093083; -3.4675722 (Sandy Park) 52°00′34″N 00°44′00″W / 52.00944°N 0.73333°W / 52.00944; -0.73333 (Stadium MK) 50°51′42″N 0°4′59.80″W / 50.86167°N 0.0832778°W / 50.86167; -0.0832778 (Falmer Park)
Capacity: 16,500 Capacity: 12,500
(upgraded)
Construction progress: by 2015
[28][29]
Capacity: 30,500 Capacity: 30,750
File:Mk stadium upgraded.jpg

Source:[30]

Team bases

The 41 venues that will act as team bases for the competing nations were announced on 26 August 2014.[31] All prospective team bases were subject to a rigorous selection process which included an expansive and detailed programme of site visits as well as liaison with the competing Rugby World Cup 2015 teams. A team base will consist of an outdoor and indoor training facility, a swimming pool, gym and hotel and will be utilised by the competing teams in the lead up to and during the World Cup.

Qualifying

As the host nation, England qualify automatically, as do all of the teams that finished in the top three of their pool at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The qualification process for the remaining teams incorporates existing regional competitions such as the European Nations Cup.[32]

Qualified teams

A total of 20 teams will play in the final tournament. The below teams are the final 20 teams that will participate (shown with pre-tournament rankings as of 7 June 2015[33]). The list of teams are the same as for 2003's tournament.

Draw

Seeding for each group for the 2015 World Cup were based on their respective IRB Rankings. The draw, hosted by Will Greenwood, was conducted on 3 December 2012 in London, and used the World Rankings as of that day, just after the 2012 end-of-year rugby union internationals, which finished on 1 December 2012.[34] The 12 automatic qualifiers from 2011, were allocated to their respective bands based on their rankings;

  • Band 1, made up of the top 4 automatic qualifiers, (1–4)
  • Band 2, made up of the next 4 automatic qualifiers, (5–8)
  • Band 3, made up of the next 4 automatic qualifiers (9–12)

The remaining 8 qualifying places were allocated to Bands 4 and 5, based on previous World Cup playing strength;

  • Band 4, made up of Oceania 1, Europe 1, Asia 1 and Americas 1
  • Band 5, made up of Africa 1, Europe 2, Americas 2 and play-off winner

This meant the 20 teams, qualified and qualifiers, were seeded thus:

The draw saw a representative randomly draw a ball from a pot, the first drawn ball goes to Pool A, the second Pool B, the third Pool C and the fourth Pool D. The draw began with Pot 5, drawn by All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, followed by Pot 4, drawn by RWC 2015 Ambassador Maggie Alphonsi, then Pot 3, drawn by Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Pot 2, drawn by the then Chief Executive for RWC 2015 Debbie Jevans, and finally Pot 1, drawn by IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset.

Warm-up matches

Squads

Each country are allowed a squad of 31 players for the tournament. These squads are to be submitted to World Rugby by a deadline of 31 August 2015. Once the squad has been submitted, a player could be replaced if injured, but would not be allowed to return to the squad. There is also a stand-down period of 72 hours before the new player is allowed to take the field. Hence, a replacement player called into a squad on the eve of a game will not be permitted to play in that game.

Match officials

On 7 April 2015, World Rugby named twelve referees, seven assistant referees and four television match officials to handle the group stage games.[35] The referees appointed to the World Cup with their union in brackets are as follows:

Pool stage

The first round, or pool stage, sees the 20 teams divided into four pools of five teams, using the same format that was used in 2003, 2007, and 2011. The pool stage draw was conducted at the Tate Modern on 3 December 2012, and divided the 12 automatic qualifiers into three bands according to their place in the most recent World Ranking.[36][37]

The bands are as follows (pre-seeding rankings in brackets):[38][39]

  • Band 1: New Zealand (1), South Africa (2), Australia (3), France (4)
  • Band 2: England (5), Ireland (6), Samoa (7), Argentina (8)
  • Band 3: Wales (9), Italy (10), Tonga (11), Scotland (12)
  • Band 4: Oceania 1, Europe 1, Asia 1, Americas 1
  • Band 5: Africa 1, Europe 2, Americas 2, Playoff winner
Pool A Pool B Pool C Pool D

 Australia
 England
 Wales
 Fiji
 Uruguay

 South Africa
 Samoa
 Scotland
 Japan
 United States

 New Zealand
 Argentina
 Tonga
 Georgia
 Namibia

 France
 Ireland
 Italy
 Canada
 Romania

Each pool is a single round-robin of ten games, in which each team plays one match against each of the other teams in the same pool. Teams are awarded four points for a win, two points for a draw and none for a defeat. A team scoring four or more tries in one match will score a bonus point, as will a team that loses by seven points or fewer.

The teams finishing in the top two of each pool will advance to the quarter-finals. The top three teams of each pool will receive automatic qualification to the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Pool A

Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD T B Pts Qualification
1  Australia 4 4 0 0 141 35 +106 17 1 17 Advanced to the quarter-finals and
qualified for the 2019 Rugby World Cup
2  Wales 4 3 0 1 111 62 +49 11 1 13
3  England 4 2 0 2 133 75 +58 16 3 11 Eliminated but qualified for 2019 Rugby World Cup
4  Fiji 4 1 0 3 84 101 −17 10 1 5
5  Uruguay 4 0 0 4 30 226 −196 2 0 0
Source: [citation needed]
18 September 2015 England  v  Fiji Twickenham Stadium, London
20 September 2015 Wales  v  Uruguay Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
23 September 2015 Australia  v  Fiji Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
26 September 2015 England  v  Wales Twickenham Stadium, London
27 September 2015 Australia  v  Uruguay Villa Park, Birmingham
1 October 2015 Wales  v  Fiji Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
3 October 2015 England  v  Australia Twickenham Stadium, London
6 October 2015 Fiji  v  Uruguay Stadium mk, Milton Keynes
10 October 2015 Australia  v  Wales Twickenham Stadium, London
10 October 2015 England  v  Uruguay Manchester City Stadium, Manchester

Pool B

Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD T B Pts Qualification
1  South Africa 4 3 0 1 176 56 +120 23 4 16 Advanced to the quarter-finals and
qualified for the 2019 Rugby World Cup
2  Scotland 4 3 0 1 136 93 +43 14 2 14
3  Japan 4 3 0 1 98 100 −2 9 0 12 Eliminated but qualified for 2019 Rugby World Cup
4  Samoa 4 1 0 3 69 124 −55 7 2 6
5  United States 4 0 0 4 50 156 −106 5 0 0
Source: [citation needed]
19 September 2015 South Africa  v  Japan Brighton Community Stadium, Brighton
20 September 2015 Samoa  v  United States Brighton Community Stadium, Brighton
23 September 2015 Scotland  v  Japan Kingsholm, Gloucester
26 September 2015 South Africa  v  Samoa Villa Park, Birmingham
27 September 2015 Scotland  v  United States Elland Road, Leeds
3 October 2015 Samoa  v  Japan Stadium mk, Milton Keynes
3 October 2015 South Africa  v  Scotland St. James' Park, Newcastle
7 October 2015 South Africa  v  United States Olympic Stadium, London
10 October 2015 Samoa  v  Scotland St. James' Park, Newcastle
11 October 2015 United States  v  Japan Kingsholm, Gloucester

Pool C

Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD T B Pts Qualification
1  New Zealand 4 4 0 0 174 49 +125 25 3 19 Advanced to the quarter-finals and
qualified for the 2019 Rugby World Cup
2  Argentina 4 3 0 1 179 70 +109 22 3 15
3  Georgia 4 2 0 2 53 123 −70 5 0 8 Eliminated but qualified for 2019 Rugby World Cup
4  Tonga 4 1 0 3 70 130 −60 8 2 6
5  Namibia 4 0 0 4 70 174 −104 8 1 1
Source: [citation needed]
19 September 2015 Tonga  v  Georgia Kingsholm, Gloucester
20 September 2015 New Zealand  v  Argentina Wembley Stadium, London
24 September 2015 New Zealand  v  Namibia Olympic Stadium, London
25 September 2015 Argentina  v  Georgia Kingsholm, Gloucester
29 September 2015 Tonga  v  Namibia Sandy Park, Exeter
2 October 2015 New Zealand  v  Georgia Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
4 October 2015 Argentina  v  Tonga Leicester City Stadium, Leicester
7 October 2015 Namibia  v  Georgia Sandy Park, Exeter
9 October 2015 New Zealand  v  Tonga St. James' Park, Newcastle
11 October 2015 Argentina  v  Namibia Leicester City Stadium, Leicester

Pool D

Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD T B Pts Qualification
1  Ireland 4 4 0 0 134 35 +99 16 2 18 Advanced to the quarter-finals and
qualified for the 2019 Rugby World Cup
2  France 4 3 0 1 120 63 +57 12 2 14
3  Italy 4 2 0 2 74 88 −14 7 2 10 Eliminated but qualified for 2019 Rugby World Cup
4  Romania 4 1 0 3 60 129 −69 7 0 4
5  Canada 4 0 0 4 58 131 −73 7 2 2
Source: [citation needed]
19 September 2015 Ireland  v  Canada Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
19 September 2015 France  v  Italy Twickenham Stadium, London
23 September 2015 France  v  Romania Olympic Stadium, London
26 September 2015 Italy  v  Canada Elland Road, Leeds
27 September 2015 Ireland  v  Romania Wembley Stadium, London
1 October 2015 France  v  Canada Stadium mk, Milton Keynes
4 October 2015 Ireland  v  Italy Olympic Stadium, London
6 October 2015 Canada  v  Romania Leicester City Stadium, Leicester
11 October 2015 Italy  v  Romania Sandy Park, Exeter
11 October 2015 France  v  Ireland Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

Knockout stage

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
17 October – Twickenham Stadium
 
 
Winner of Pool B
 
24 October – Twickenham Stadium
 
Runner-up of Pool A
 
 
 
17 October – Millennium Stadium
 
 
 
Winner of Pool C
 
31 October – Twickenham Stadium
 
Runner-up of Pool D
 
 
 
18 October – Millennium Stadium
 
 
 
Winner of Pool D
 
25 October – Twickenham Stadium
 
Runner-up of Pool C
 
 
 
18 October – Twickenham Stadium
 
 Third place
 
Winner of Pool A
 
30 October – Olympic Stadium
 
Runner-up of Pool B
 
 
 
 
 
 

Quarter-finals

17 October 2015
16:00 BST (UTC+01)
Winner of Pool BvRunner-up of Pool A
Twickenham Stadium, London

17 October 2015
20:00 BST (UTC+01)
Winner of Pool CvRunner-up of Pool D
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

18 October 2015
13:00 BST (UTC+01)
Winner of Pool DvRunner-up of Pool C
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

18 October 2015
16:00 BST (UTC+01)
Winner of Pool AvRunner-up of Pool B
Twickenham Stadium, London

Semi-finals

24 October 2015
16:00 BST (UTC+01)
Winner of quarter-final 1vWinner of quarter-final 2
Twickenham Stadium, London

25 October 2015
16:00 GMT (UTC+00)
Winner of quarter-final 3vWinner of quarter-final 4
Twickenham Stadium, London

Bronze final

30 October 2015
20:00 GMT (UTC+00)
Loser of semi-final 1vLoser of semi-final 2
Olympic Stadium, London

Final

31 October 2015
16:00 GMT (UTC+00)
Winner of semi-final 1vWinner of semi-final 2
Twickenham Stadium, London

Media coverage

ITV Sport will be the UK and worldwide host broadcaster for the 2015 event, having signed a deal in 2011 to broadcast the 2011 and 2015 RWC tournaments. ITV won the rights after outbidding rivals including the BBC and Sky Sports.[40] It will show every match from the tournament live in the UK on ITV and ITV4.[41]

Participating nations

Country Television network Broadcasting
Argentina Argentina ESPN[42] At least 16 matches (all Argentina and Uruguay matches, plus all knock-out stages matches with the bronze final and the final)
Australia Australia Fox Sports[43] All 48 matches broadcast live
Nine Network[43] All Australian matches free-to-air live
Canada Canada TSN[44] All 48 matches live on either TSN, TSN2 or TSN.ca
RDS[44] Rights to a select number of matches in French
Fiji Fiji Fiji TV, FBC TV[45] All 48 matches across the two broadcasters.
France France TF1[46] 21 matches, including all French matches, the best pool stage matches, two quarter-finals, both semi-finals, the bronze final and the final
Canal+[46] 27 matches that will not be broadcast by TF1
Georgia (country) Georgia TBA
Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland TV3[47] All 48 matches broadcast live. TV3 will begin broadcasting in HD just before the competition.
Italy Italy Sky Sport[48] All 48 matches broadcast live
Japan Japan TBA
Namibia Namibia TBA
New Zealand New Zealand Sky Sport[43] All 48 matches broadcast live
Romania Romania Digi Sport[49]
Samoa Samoa TBA
South Africa South Africa SuperSport[43] All 48 matches broadcast live
Tonga Tonga TBA
United Kingdom United Kingdom
(England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales)
ITV, STV, UTV, ITV4[43] All 48 matches live on either ITV1, UTV, STV or ITV4 in the UK
BBC Radio[50] Will stream live radio commentary for all 48 games
United States United States Universal Sports
NBC[50]
Univision
Live coverage of nine matches between the two broadcasters - four USA pool matches, opening match, both semi-finals, bronze final and the final. UniversalSports.com will live stream all 48 matches online in the US.
Uruguay Uruguay ESPN[42] At least 16 matches (all Argentina and Uruguay matches, plus all knock-out stages matches with the bronze final and the final)
Wales Wales S4C[51] All Welsh matches live, the opening match, one quarter-final and one semi-final (regardless if Wales qualifies), the bronze final and the final
BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru[52] Will stream live radio commentary for all Wales games in English and Welsh

Non-participating nations

Television network Country(s) Broadcasting
ESPN, ESPN Brasil[42] Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela At least 16 matches (all Argentina and Uruguay matches, plus all knock-out stages matches with the bronze final and the final)
Eurosport[53] Austria, Belgium, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Switzerland 20 matches live, including opening match and final
ITV Channel Television Channel Islands All 48 matches live, as with ITV
RTL 7[54] Netherlands Total of 24 matches
Canal+[55] Spain TBA
Viaplay, Viasat[56] Sweden All 48 matches broadcast live on OTT Service Viaplay. Selected games on Viasat Sport.
Zuku Sports Kenya All 48 matches broadcast live.

Tickets

Ticket prices were announced in November 2013 with general sale applications launching in September 2014.[57] Adult ticket prices start at £15 for pool matches and children's tickets will be available from £7 at 41 of the 48 matches. Tickets for the World Cup final range from £150 to £715.[58]

Notes

  1. ^ Although England, and its governing body the Rugby Football Union, is officially the sole host nation of the tournament, some matches will be played in Cardiff, Wales.
  2. ^ The IRB became World Rugby on the 19 November 2014.[2] However, the 2015 World Cup will retain its IRB branding, given the proximity of the rebrand to the event, and as merchandise is already available with IRB branding. The 2019 Rugby World Cup will be the first to use full World Rugby branding

References

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  2. ^ "IRB to change name to World Rugby" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  3. ^ "England set to get 2015 World Cup". BBC Sport. 30 June 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  4. ^ BBC Sport, IRB confirm 2015 & 2019 host bids, 25 August 2008, http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/7564403.stm
  5. ^ "Argentina se postuló para organizar el Mundial 2015". rugbytime.com. RugbyTime.com. 26 February 2008. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  6. ^ a b IRB, England and Japan handed Rugby World Cups, 28 July 2009, http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/rugbyworldcup2019/news/newsid=2053414.html
  7. ^ "Russia keen to bid for RWC Sevens 2013". IRB.com. International Rugby Board. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
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  10. ^ "Scotland pull out of RWC 2015 bid". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 29 April 2009. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. Retrieved 29 April 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "IRB confirms record RWC bid response". IRB.com. International Rugby Board. 8 May 2009. Archived from the original on 11 May 2009. Retrieved 9 May 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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  13. ^ a b c "England will host 2015 World Cup". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 July 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
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  15. ^ "England to make solo 2015 Cup bid". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 19 February 2009. Archived from the original on 22 February 2009. Retrieved 20 February 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ Rees, Paul (1 September 2007). "England can bank on 2015 cup as board pushes for profit". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  17. ^ Bates, Rupert (2 September 2007). "Diego Dominguez ready for Rugby World Cup". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  18. ^ a b Japan joins England and South Africa in bidding for Rugby World Cup, guardian.co.uk, 8 May 2009
  19. ^ http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iA2uPUqRGOe7984JJDJOe_g4jjXA[dead link]
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  21. ^ "RWC 2015 venues and schedule announced". rugbyworldcup.com. International Rugby Board. 2 May 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  22. ^ "Millennium Stadium confirmed as RWC'15 venue". ESPN Scrum. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  23. ^ "Rugby World Cup: guide to England 2015 stadiums". The Telegraph. 28 June 2009. Archived from the original on 14 November 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ "Rugby World Cup 2015 Long list of potential venues". The Daily Telegraph. 9 October 2009.
  25. ^ Rumsby, Ben (3 April 2013). "2015 Rugby World Cup can only persuade Manchester City to host one game". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  26. ^ "RWC 2015 venues and schedule announced". 2 May 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  27. ^ "Manchester City announce second phase of Etihad expansion". mcfc.co.uk. Manchester City FC. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  28. ^ "RWC 2015: Sandy Park". Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  29. ^ "SkyscraperCity - View Single Post - ENGLAND - Stadium and Arena Development News". skyscrapercity.com.
  30. ^ "Rugby World Cup 2015 venues". The Telegraph. 11 September 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  31. ^ RWC 2015 official team bases announced
  32. ^ "Major changes made to RWC qualifying". worldcupweb.com. 10 May 2007. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  33. ^ "World Rugby". worldrugby.org.
  34. ^ "IRB World Rankings at 3 December 2012". World Rugby. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  35. ^ "Match officials announced for Rugby World Cup 2015". worldrugby.com. World Rugby. 7 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
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Preceded by Rugby World Cup
2015
England
Succeeded by