In the sweltering heat of a stuffy conference room at Parliament, Sport and Recreation Minister Thulas Nxesi, SA Rugby president Mark Alexander and CE Jurie Roux looked more relieved than elated that SA was chosen as the preferred candidate to host Rugby World Cup 2023. There is still one more hurdle to clear — the official vote on November 15 — and although it should be a formality, there was an air of caution after SA’s bid was deemed the best submitted to an independent bid evaluation committee on June 1. The 827-page, 8.2kg bid book scored 79% against the committee’s six weighted criteria – France was second on 76% and Ireland third with 72%. “Based on the evaluation contained in this report, the candidate that scored the highest marks and is therefore deemed to be the optimal candidate to host Rugby World Cup 2023 is SA,” the report stated. “It is the recommendation of the Rugby World Cup Limited Board to World Rugby Council that SA should be awarded the right to host Rugby Wor...
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