Nel frattempo, nella perfida Albione...
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... 229468.ece
From The Times May 6, 2009
RFU calls on World Cup heroes in 2015 bid
Mark Souster
Lawrence Dallaglio and Will Greenwood, two of England's World Cup-winning heroes from 2003, areto help to spearhead the RFU's campaign to host the 2015 tournament after yesterday's confirmation of its multimillion-pound bid to stage what is regarded as the world's third largest sporting event.
After several days of negotiation with the Government, the union was able formally to announce its intentions, which require a minimum guarantee to the IRB of £80 million.
If successful, the World Cup would be another piece in a sporting jigsaw that would place Britain at the heart of global sport over the next decade. Britain hosts the Olympics in 2012, the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and the cricket World Cup in 2019. The big prize of football's blue riband event in 2018 is also a target.
While the Government's involvement stops short of underwriting the cost, a package of so far unspecified measures - but thought to include security - detailed by Andy Burnham, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, gave the RFU confidence that it could proceed without jeopardising its substantial commitments to the game in this country.
“The RFU has pulled together an outstanding bid that will take the game to new audiences,” Burnham said. “It has the Government's full support and we will now work with them to make the case for it.”
Dallaglio needed little persuading to lend his weight to the bid. His support and that of Greenwood is a PR masterstroke given their international profiles. “I was fortunate to play in three [World Cups] and the drama created by the tournament can only be matched by the passion of people for sport in England,” he said.
England is the first to confirm its bid before Friday's deadline but South Africa, Italy and Japan are also expected to follow suit within the next 48 hours, backed by their respective governments. Japan and Australia are also pitching for the 2019 rights.
Presentations will be made in Dublin a week today, with Francis Baron, the RFU chief executive, Paul Vaughan, the business operations manager, and Burnham completing a five-strong delegation. Details of England's bid will be made public then and the winner will be announced on July 28.
“It is time that we brought the tournament back to England and [we] are confident we would be able to provide the best platform to profile the sport on the world stage,” Baron said.
Although England would be the host nation, the bid includes Wales as a junior partner. Twickenham, Wembley Stadium, Old Trafford and the Millennium Stadium have been earmarked as key venues. In return, Cardiff would almost certainly host a pool and two of the quarter-finals.
England hosted the 1991 World Cup along with Ireland, Scotland, Wales and France but lost out in 2007 to France. History has shown that staging the tournament predominantly, if not exclusively, in one country produces the best returns from an economic and sporting perspective.
Initially, the IRB was insisting on a £100 million guarantee, but reduced that figure by 20 per cent in the light of the credit crunch. However, £80 million represents a significant sum, especially because the only source of revenue for the host union is derived from ticket sales. France's commitment two years ago was £55 million, the same figure that New Zealand had to agree on to host the 2011 event.
France made a £15 million surplus two years ago, but it is the financial spin-offs that make the event an attractive proposition. An independent report by Deloitte, the accountancy and consulting firm, into the benefits of the World Cup revealed that the French Government pocketed an extra €90 million (about £80 million) in VAT, while the economy benefited to the tune of €1 billion.
Unlike, for instance, the Olympics, the tournament does not require heavy capital expenditure because the IRB does not insist upon or require new stadiums or infrastructure. Figures such as these no doubt helped to persuade the Government to get on board.
