England to bid for 2031 World Cup

The Guardian has reported that England will take a run at the 2031 World Cup.

The Rugby Football Union has confirmed its intention to bid to host the 2031 World Cup as part of a long-term vision also designed to ensure England are consistently in the top two in the rankings, as outlined by the new chair, Tom Ilube.

World Rugby’s council is due to vote on the host nations for the 2027 and 2031 tournaments next May with candidates due to formally submit bids by January. Australia are favourites to be awarded the 2027 World Cup while the USA is also interested in bidding for either edition.

In April the RFU set up a diversity and inclusion board, having already conducted a review into supporters singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot at England matches. In May the word “Saxons” was removed from the A team’s name in a further effort to modernise but, while Eddie Jones’s squad has a strong representation of players from BAME backgrounds, the union has struggled to shake its reputation as an organisation overseeing a predominantly white, middle-class, public-school sport.

“There’s this perception in some people’s minds and that doesn’t quite marry up with the reality, so there is something about the communication that we need to look at over time,” said Ilube, who has held conversations with a number of black players since his appointment.