A reciprocal arrangement was put in place between the IRFU and the WRU prior to the ’99 RWC which was primarily hosted at Millennium Stadium, but with games shared out to other European nations (England, France, Scotland and Ireland).
However, after recent consultation with World Rugby and the IRFU, the WRU Board has now decided to relinquish any further rights, accepting that it has already been suitably recompensed and out of respect for the stipulations of the RWC 2023 host selection process.
“The general consensus from the Board was that, whilst the WRU had claim to compensation as part of any bid from the IRFU, the spirit of the original agreement has already been fulfilled,” said WRU chairman Gareth Davies.
“The best thing for the selection process is for us to be able to put an end to any speculation about this historical agreement and we are pleased to do so.
“We now look forward to playing our part in maintaining the highest standards of fairness, transparency and professionalism in the RWC 2023 host selection process.”
