SEVENTEEN years after scoring his first international try in a World Cup game at Lansdowne Road, Brian O’Driscoll believes giving the 2023 tournament to Ireland is important to “break new ground”.
The long-serving centre opened his account in a 53-9 pool stage win over the United States in 1999 and, having retired at the end of the 2014 Six Nations, he is now Ireland’s bid ambassador as they seek to host the whole show seven years from now.
Their two competitors to win the 37 votes of the World Rugby board, France and South Africa, have hosted the event in the past. France held it as recently as 2007, while South Africa famously lifted the Webb Ellis trophy on their own soil in 1995.
O’Driscoll believes that in terms of growing the game on a worldwide basis, the organisers must look to Ireland’s bid.
“I think it’s very important. We’re trying to grow rugby, break into new ground from a playing point of view, but that has to also be mirrored in trying to push it into new hosting nations as well,” he said.
“If we go back to the same old, same old, people will confuse memories as to when certain tournaments took place. France only took place in 2007. It’s not that long ago.
“If you look to 2023 and how the country would embrace the whole thing, I think we’re on to an absolute winner.”
The IRFU’s plan to bid was spawned by seeing New Zealand – a country with similar resources – host the World Cup five years ago.
O’Driscoll sees the similarities between the two countries and says that the fact Ireland isn’t as fanatical about rugby as the home of the reigning back-to-back champions won’t be an issue.
“As much as we’re probably not as fanatical about rugby as New Zealand, we’re fanatical about sport, we’ve got people who love a sport, but more often than not they like or love a second sport. That makes us slightly unique,” he said.
“I think the selling point is people love coming to Ireland because of the welcome they get. I think throughout the country, you would have people adopt second countries as well, whether it’s Tonga, Samoa... as they saw back in the Special Olympics back in 2003 – people embracing a tournament of an even bigger magnitude.”
The fact Ireland have never made it past the quarter-final stage of a World Cup could be construed as a potential negative for the bid, with the host nation’s progression often key in terms of ticket sales and revenue.
But O’Driscoll points to England’s pool stage demise last year and the success of the knockout stages of that competition as the perfect response. And he feels that having home advantage in 2023 could help break that glass ceiling – if they haven’t already in Japan in 2019.
“I think in three years’ time we will feel we will get to a semi-final. You obviously have to wait for draws and things to come out,” he said.
“We have got a very good squad at the moment, we have a great coaching ticket – next time is always the best time to get to a semi-final.
“And the home advantage you would have to add a huge advantage to it, I don’t want to discount what you are saying but if we didn’t manage to do it in Japan and we got the World Cup 2023 it would absolutely help our cause.
“But I am a glass half-full sort of person so I hope we will already have gotten to a semi-final by 2023.”
