World Cup share delights Wales

World Cup share delights Wales

RUGBY WORLD CUP 2007

Cardiff's Millennium Stadium will host one of the quarter-finals

France to host 2007 World Cup

Wales has good reason to be delighted at France being named 2007 Rugby World Cup hosts on Thursday.

Under the French bid, chosen over England's rival proposal by the International Rugby Board, the Principality will host three pool matches, plus one of the quarter-finals in the Millennium Stadium.

Two of those pool matches will involve Wales, although the national side will have to travel to France to play their remaining two pool matches.

France's bid won by 18 votes to three, after opting for a traditional format with 20 teams divided into four pools.

The top two from each pool will qualify for the quarter-finals.

"We supported the French bid because we wanted to ensure that we had games in Cardiff involving the Wales team," Welsh Rugby Union chief executive David Moffett said.

"We also wanted to get a reasonable return financially, on present projections close to £7 million, although that may improve."

KEY FACTS

20-team format

48 matches between 7 Sept-20 Oct

Wales, Scotland and Ireland three first-round matches each, with a quarter-final in the Millennium Stadium

French stadia: Marseille, Montpellier, Toulouse, Lens, St Etienne, Lyon, the Stade de France and Parc des Princes

France were obliged to offer a quarter-final to Wales to reciprocate matches played there when Wales hosted the tournament in 1991.

Moffett said he was pleased that the French Rugby Federation had decided to honour the agreement the two unions had struck previously.

"I've got absolutely no doubt that the tournament will be hugely successful in 2007, just as I'm sure it will be this year in Australia," Moffett added.

"For Wales it's exciting to look ahead now to hosting some of the games involving Wales in the Millennium Stadium, which is one of the best stadiums for rugby in the world."

The 2007 tournament will take place between 7 September and 20 October.