Wembley central to Rugby World Cup bid

The new Wembley Stadium is an integral part of the Rugby Football Union's revised bid to bring the 2007 World Cup to England.

The new Wembley Stadium is an integral part of the Rugby Football Union's revised bid to bring the 2007 World Cup to England.

Wembley has entered the equation, along with Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, Edinburgh's Murrayfield and Leicester's Walkers Stadium and the new bid, unveiled at Twickenham today, now includes five 60,000-plus capacity stadia.

The RFU expects the extra venues to drive up ticket revenue by 25 per cent and help fund a £20 million compensation policy for rugby nations and competitions around the world which lose revenue as a result of the World Cup.

The plan is to use Wembley for two group matches and one semi-final.

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Murrayfield and the Millennium Stadium would also increase overall capacity but RFU chief executive Francis Barron insisted neither Scotland or Wales would be part of the World Cup organisation.

Instead the RFU plan to rent the two stadiums at a rate of 15 per cent of the match revenue.

Both England and France - the only two countries bidding to stage the event - submitted their new bids last week at the request of the IRB, but details of the new English offer were only revealed today.

Both countries were given two options - a 20-team traditional World Cup and an alternative, with England's preference being for a 16-team World Cup and a 20-team World Nations Cup for the game's developing countries.

The IRB will announce their decision in April after receiving a recommendation from Rugby World Cup.

PA