World Cup vote shocks SA Rugby
President ‘desolated’ and angry after council decides to award 2023 hosting rights to France
London — France will host the 2023 Rugby World Cup after the council of the sport’s governing body surprisingly went against the recommendations of an extensive evaluation report in a secret ballot on Wednesday. SA had been recommended by World Rugby’s board but council members convincingly voted 24-15 for France, which held the tournament in 2007. Ireland was eliminated in the first round. It was the first time the board’s recommendation had been ignored and the decision was immediately followed by questions over the selection process and the point of running an extensive and transparent evaluation process only for the decision to be taken in secret. The shock announcement by World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont was greeted by a moment of stunned silence, before the French delegation delivered a muffled cheer. World Rugby officials made repeated references to an "open and transparent" process but faced questions about the final decision being made in secret and the "opaque" nature of...
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