The verdict will not go down well in South Africa or Ireland – and that is a major understatement. No one doubts France will put on a good show but at what cost to rugby’s reputation for transparency and integrity? The last thing World Rugby wanted was to be bracketed with Qatar, awarded the 2022 football World Cup despite numerous logistical concerns. Arguably far more important than the 2023 World Cup destination, as Pichot intimated, is finding a path for the sport’s have-nots at an increasingly delicate stage in the professional game’s development. And that, ultimately, matters more than purely obsessing over how lucrative a 2023 World Cup might yet be.

Source: The Guardian November 15, 2017 15:12 UTC