An endorsement from England has only reinforced the belief of Rugby Australia it will mount a compelling case to stage the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
It’s still two years until the host nation for the 11th global tournament is unveiled but RA officials believe the signs are good it can pull together a successful bid.
Head of professional rugby Anthony French was buoyed by comments from Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney, who championed voting for Australia in late 2021.
Sweeney said in a BBC interview it was important Australia remain a strong rugby stronghold and it would benefit from the financial windfall that historically accompanies hosting rights.
French said while there was water to flow under the bridge, the support was gratifying and only served to bolster the strength of the bid project he is leading.
“Obviously there’s a whole process to run through …(but) we obviously welcome those types of comments,” he told AAP.
“It’s a recognition of Australia’s place in the world game and what we can do, what hosting a World Cup would provide for the country and how it would serve the broader (Asia-Pacific) region as well.”
Exchanges with World Rugby officials during the recent World Cup in Japan had been positive, he added, along with the presence of federal and state government representatives.
While the bid process was at a foundation phase, French was confident it would hit full steam in the middle of next year, with RA convinced a 2027 event is perfectly timed.
The British and Irish Lions are scheduled to tour two years earlier while a spate of construction and redevelopment at numerous rugby venues in Australia was a major selling point.
World Rugby plans to announce the 2027 and 2031 hosts simultaneously.
Logic dictates that an established rugby nation – and one from the southern hemisphere – will stage the first of them off a shorter six-year runway while an emerging nation would have a 10-year leadup.
All the signs point towards a United States-hosted event in 2031, similar to tier-two Japan getting a decade to prepare for this year.
French said the economics of hosting a World Cup are undeniably positive while there is an expectation rugby would spike in Australia for an extended six-year period.
“The legacy starts the day after you awarded a World Cup,” he said.
“Hopefully it would be a real shot in the arm for the game, a real point of difference to our rival codes.
“You’re giving young men, who might be 16, 17, 18, a real option to stay in the game because in six years’ time they could put on the gold jumper to play in front of a home crowd in the World Cup.”