Ireland withdraw from 2015 World Cup bid 05/05/2009 |
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Ireland have pulled out of the bidding for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, the Irish Rugby Football Union said Friday, citing the financial downturn.
Ireland had told the International Rugby Board (IRB) in January that they were interested in making a joint bid with England, Wales and Scotland.
"We examined in detail the possibility of other bid options alongside the positive spin-offs of hosting the tournament, but these did not satisfy all of the essential criteria for Irish rugby to remain involved in the process," IRFU chief executive Philip Browne said in a statement.
Scotland pulled out this week, and also from the 2019 event, while Australia did the same last month. Both cited financial reasons.
England's bid had received government backing but officials are still uncertain whether they will go ahead with a full bid.
Italy, Japan, South Africa and Wales also expressed an interest last year, but with the May 8 deadline looming, the IRB is rapidly running short of options.
The main stumbling block appears to be the IRB's demand for an 80 million pounds ($119.1 million) guarantee.
"In these difficult economic times that's a real tough ask," the Rugby Football Union's chief executive Francis Baron said on Thursday.
The next World Cup, in 2011, will be hosted by New Zealand.
(Source: Reuters)
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