Japan 2019 left ‘huge legacy’, says World Rugby CEO

LONDON: The 2019 Rugby World Cup has left a “huge legacy” in Japan and its success should embolden countries such as the United States to bid for future events, says World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper.

The 61-year-old Australian spoke to AFP as audit giant EY released its report, “The economic impact of Rugby World Cup 2019”.

EY estimated that 46,000 jobs were created or sustained for the tournament and £4.3 billion ($5.4 billion) — a record for a Rugby World Cup — was generated in economic output.

Gosper said “Japan 2019 was one of the greatest, maybe the greatest, of all World Cups” and exceeded all expectations. “For Japan there is a huge legacy,” he said via video call. “There was an uptick in participation at schools, younger audiences on social media and, on TV, 58 million watched the Scotland v Japan game.

“It shows it was a major national ubiquitous event for all age groups.”

Gosper said the tournament had attracted swathes of new players to the sport in Asia and also created a new source of income alongside traditional markets.

“The legacy is beyond stadia facelifts, gym equipment and higher participation — the legacy for World Rugby is that it also created the thirdbiggest broadcast market,” he said.

“That is a legacy for all rugby because our revenues get pushed around 120 unions.”

Gosper said the rugby world had traditionally been reliant on France and Britain and the challenge now was to sustain a third sizeable market.

“That is the reason we went to Japan and Asia, was to create new markets and participation,” he said.

“It gives us a bigger commercial footprint to put back into other areas of the world.”

‘RISKING THEIR LIVES?’

Gosper believes the success of Japan 2019 will give World Rugby chiefs confidence that rugby-playing nations with a similar profile can host the tournament. USA Rugby filed for bankruptcy earlier this year but Gosper said that did not rule the United States out of bidding for the 2027 or 2031 tournaments.

“I am sure that their time will come,” he said. “The bankruptcy does make it slightly more complex but everything is more complex in the world now in both the short term and medium.

“We are looking at 2027 and 2031 (both bids will run at the same time).

“To put on a Rugby World Cup it requires financial effort beyond any one union.

“England and France have economic muscle from their governments and in the USA case it would be more private concerns. — AFP