ex: KEO
The start of the 2015 World Cup will be moved back a fortnight so that the Rugby Championship is not disrupted.
According to reports in England, the Rugby Football Union had been pressing for a 4 September start to the tournament. This would, however, conflict with the southern hemisphere showpiece, and the four Test teams involved were hoping the World Cup will start later on 25 September.
The International Rugby Board met on Tuesday to discuss the matter, and a compromise was be reached. The 2015 global tournament will start on 18 September.
The IRB also discussed the way the income of the World Cup is distributed. Last year, New Zealand threatened to boycott the 2015 tournament unless the financial model is changed. The southern hemisphere nations will lose money if the Rugby Championship is shortened in 2015, and would need to be compensated.
Rugby World Cup Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: ‘Throughout this collaborative process we have set out to achieve a Rugby World Cup 2015 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.
‘September 18 achieves just that and coupled with a robust collaborative funding model, we have collectively moved to address the challenges that face our unions during a Rugby World Cup year.’
