Surprise as 2023 RWC vote goes to France

WORLD Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont denied being humiliated after the global game voted against their recommendation and France was named hosts of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

South Africa was named as the preferred host nation by World Rugby’s independent review two weeks ago, but France won the right to host the tournament following a ballot in London.

A simple majority from the 39 votes was required and France claimed 18 votes to South Africa’s 13 in the first round of voting. Ireland had eight votes and were eliminated.

The second round saw France claim 24 votes to South Africa’s 15 to be named hosts for a second time, after 2007.

Beaumont had emphasised the “transparent selection process” before announcing the host, when World Rugby’s member nations went against the recommendation.

Beaumont said he would follow the recommendation, but insisted the move was not embarrassing for the sport’s world governing body.

“A humiliation for me? I don’t think so. I don’t think that at all,” Beaumont told a media conference.

“There’s always got to be one recommendation in the evaluation process and that was South Africa.

“Just because it went to France doesn’t mean there’s humiliation whatsoever. If you look, there wasn’t a great deal between France and South Africa in the evaluation report. It was very close.

“We feel the process has been absolutely transparent. Everyone’s been able to see how the scoring was.”

SA Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux said: “World Rugby ran exhaustive, transparent process for 15 months to identify best host nation, only for the process to go entirely opaque for past two weeks.

“The view of the experts and World Rugby’s leadership was overturned by World Rugby council members.”

Irish Rugby Football Union chief executive Philip Browne was magnanimous in defeat.

“It’s not to be, our race is now run and today belongs to France. They have our warmest congratulations,” he said.