Rugby World Cup

The four unions tendering to host the World Cup in  2015 or 2019 on Wednesday unveiled their bids to the International Rugby Board Council in Dublin.

Italy, Japan and South Africa are tendering to host either World Cup 2015 or 2019, while England is bidding for World Cup 2015.

The unprecedented tender response, a record for Rugby World Cup, reflects the global prestige of a tournament which is now regarded as the world's third-largest sporting event.

The union tender teams presented to the IRB Council in alphabetical order, each delivering a 30-minute presentation outlining their proposal to host a Rugby World Cup before answering questions from the floor.

"The quality of the presentations was extremely high with each tender union outlining their bid to host a World Cup. We are delighted to have four countries of the calibre of England, Italy, Japan and South Africa bidding for the right to host a World Cup," said Rugby World Cup Ltd Chairman Bernard Lapasset.

"The presentations mark the latest milestone in the detailed analysis of the tenders, including independent financial and commercial evaluation. The process culminates with the IRB Council selecting the Host Unions for Rugby World Cup 2015 and Rugby World Cup 2019 at its Special Meeting of Council on July 28."