The IRFU has announced its plans to bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup with support from both the Irish Government and Northern Ireland Executive.
“Ireland will put together a winning bid that will be impossible to resist,” said Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson added: “Northern Ireland has demonstrated that whatever the event, whatever the occasion, we deliver.”
Both administrations have been engaged in a preliminary assessment exercise over the last 10 months. The aim was to weigh up the feasibility of submitting an official bid.
As well as the traditional rugby stadiums such as the Aviva in Dublin, the Kingspan at Ravenhill in Belfast and Thomond Park in Limerick, a 2023 World Cup in Ireland would also hope to utilise a number of impressive Gaelic football venues, including the 82,300 capacity Croke Park in Dublin. The Irish rugby team played their home matches in Croke Park between 2007 and 2010 while the Aviva Stadium was being built on the site of the old Lansdowne Road.
“This would involve teams coming to Ireland weeks in advance for training camps, providing a major boost to the tourism industry and that’s before the supporters from across the world descend,” said Deputy First Minster Martin McGuinness.
“In 2007 the Rugby World Cup broadcast in over 200 countries and attracted a television audience of 4.2 billion so the potential audience is huge.”
Next year’s Rugby World Cup will be hosted by England, with Japan hosting the event in 2019.
The decision to appoint a host union for a Rugby World Cup is taken by World Rugby, the international governing body for rugby, following a very detailed process which culminates in a meeting of all member Unions at which the final decision is made. It is expected the decision on Rugby World Cup 2023 will be taken in mid 2017.