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2015 World Cup set for September

2012-05-15 07:37:02

The 2015 Rugby World Cup in England will begin on September 18, with the final set for Twickenham on October 31

The decision comes following the IRB Council’s annual meeting which was held in Dublin.

With the dates now confirmed, the tournament owners Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL), organisers England Rugby 2015 Limited (ER 2015) can now press on with their preparations.

“Throughout this collaborative process we have set out to achieve a Rugby World Cup start date that is good for participating unions, good for our other major international rugby events and ultimately good for the development of the global game,” said IRB and RWCL chairman Bernard Lapasset.

“September 18 achieves just that and coupled with a new and robust collaborative funding model, we have collectively moved to address the challenges that face our unions during a Rugby World Cup year.”

The dates seem to be somewhat of a compromise, with the Rugby Football Union having wanted the tournament to start in early September so that it was completed before the switch away from British Summer Time on October 25. In contrast, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina wanted a date towards the end of the month so that the Super Rugby and Rugby Championship competitions could be played in full, therefore limiting financial losses.