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South Africa’s bid to host Rugby World Cup 2023 is back to life. SA Rugby has confirmed today that it has officially obtained government backing to bid to stage the event. This ends months of ongoing problems which all but ended South Africa’s chances of hosting.
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During the same period both France and Ireland have made significant advancements. Both European countries have confirmed their stadiums and have presented hosting models.
For further information on France 2023 click here.
For further information on Ireland 2023 click here.
Returning to Tested Ground
It is now South Africa’s turn to join them. There is little time for SA Rugby. A plan is needed to be made public as soon as possible. The unions must outline what it is offering as the host nation and why it deserves the opportunity.
South Africa is a previous host. It hosted the World Cup in 1995. That tournament was the first of just three to have been hosted alone. A return to South Africa was sought in 2011, 2015 and 2019. New Zealand, England & Wales and Japan, though, were all successful.
2023 is therefore to be South Africa’s fourth consecutive bid. Unlike 2011 it is the only Southern Hemisphere bid. This very factor is one point which may be highlighted. Another is that the Northern Hemisphere is hosting in 2019 after having also done so in 2015. This brought to an end the rotation which lasted from 1987-2015.
Either side of South Africa 1995 saw the Rugby World Cup hosted by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, France and the Republic of Ireland. Overall France and Ireland had minor roles compared to the England and Wales. They, nonetheless, both hosted key matches.
In 2007 France then hosted the event. Of the 48 matches 42 were played in France, across ten venues. The remaining eight were in Scotland and Wales. The former hosted two matches and the later six. One of these was a Quarter Final.
Stadiums
Central to the failed 2011 bid was the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The tournament saw the nature of South African stadiums revolutionized. Ten stadiums were used for the competition. They were all either brand new or upgraded.
It is the same venues constructed which are likely to be used for the South Africa 2023 bid. This, indeed, was the plan in the bids for previous tournaments. Compared to France and Ireland it makes South Africa very competitive. France’s list included completed venues, ten of which were the EURO 2016 stadiums. Montpellier and Nantes complete the list.
Ireland’s bid includes eight GAA venues and four regular rugby stadiums. The overall capacity is the lowest of the three but Croke Park is highly competitive as the feature stadium. All four provinces are to have multiple venues.
South Africa’s 2010 FIFA World Cup venues are displayed below. Two additional venues may be required as World Rugby has specified twelve venues to be preferred. Both France and Ireland have included twelve in their respective bids. The winning bidder will be named by World Rugby on 15 November.
| CITY | STADIUM | CAPACITY |
| Johannesburg | FNB Stadium | 84,490 |
| Cape Town | Green Point Stadium | 64,100 |
| Durban | Moses Mabhiba Stadium | 62,760 |
| Johannesburg | Ellis Park | 55,686 |
| Pretoria | Loftus Versfeld | 42,858 |
| Port Elizabeth | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium | 42,486 |
| Polokwane | Peter Mokaba Stadium | 41,733 |
| Nelspruit | Mbombela Stadium | 40,929 |
| Bloemfontein | Free State Stadium | 40,911 |
| Rustenburg | Royal Bafokeng Stadium | 38,646 |
