Irish bid’s not dead in water

JOE SCHMIDT insisted Ireland are still “in the mix” to host the 2023 World Cup.

And South Africa Rugby’s CEO warned the Ireland and France bid teams to steer clear of underhand tactics in a last-ditch chase for votes.

South Africa are now in pole position to get the 20 votes needed out of 39 when the process is held in London on Wednesday week.

That follows Monday’s announcement that they are the independent assessor’s choice to host

It’s disappointing but at the same time we’re going to keep trying

the finals in six years’ time. Ireland were in third place behind France with stadium infastructure flagged as an issue.

“It is disappointing,” said Schmidt. “At the same time I know we’re not going to give it up, we’re going to keep trying.

“World Rugby said all three bids were of a very high quality and all three could host the World Cup.

“So if we could do it then we’re still in the mix. I think the things that were pointed out are not insurmountable, so we’ve got to stay positive and keep trying.”

Meanwhile, SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux has warned Ireland and France that they must “stick to the moral high ground”.

Roux said: “You can’t add any more information, you can’t present to anybody, you can’t do any more presentations.

“All you can do is ask for the process to take its normal course and not be part of anything untoward.

“What we will do is keep on feeding information on our bid and the fact we’re grateful we’re over the first hurdle.”