Sixteen venues have been named in the list which has been drawn up following extensive evaluation by tournament organisers. The selection procedure for the long list of venues took into account, sporting and facilities criteria, capacity requirements, levels of support from candidate host cities and a geographical spread across the country for the successful delivery of a Rugby World Cup.
Rugby World Cup 2015 will involve 48 matches and will take place over a six week period from September 18 to October 31 2015.
The Pool Allocation Draw for Rugby World Cup 2015 is taking place in London on December 3 2012, after which England Rugby 2015 and Rugby World Cup Limited will be in a position to work through the fixture schedule with all stakeholders to select a final list of up to 12 venues, which will be concluded by Spring next year.
Following the selection of match venues, England Rugby 2015 will also subsequently be selecting a range of training and team base camps at locations throughout the country, as well as numerous locations for fan zones, in order to deliver a sporting and cultural celebration that will bring together the British sporting community across the length and breadth of the country, and the global Rugby family, for a festival of world class sport, culture and hospitality.
The Group Chief Executive of the WRU, Roger Lewis, said: “We are delighted to have been named on the long list of stadia which confirms the Millennium Stadium is under serious consideration as a Rugby World Cup 2015 match venue.
“I want to take this opportunity to offer my best wishes to the organisers who are working incredibly hard to ensure the tournament is a fantastic spectacle of international rugby.
“The WRU is working closely with the Welsh Government and Cardiff Council to ensure we can, once more, welcome the world to Wales.
“One of the stated aims of RWC 2015 is to maximise attendance, as well as to ensure a wide geographical spread of matches and we have been aware of that in putting forward the case for the 74,500 capacity Millennium Stadium.
“Our stadium boasts a city centre location in easy access of London, the south west of England and the Midlands. The unique closing roof means that all the games played here would take place in ideal conditions which would help enhance the image of our sport for TV audiences around the world.
“We are also confident the Welsh rugby public would embrace the tournament to ensure there would be a great atmosphere inside the stadium on match days.
“Rugby World Cup 2015 is rooted in England which is right and proper but our venue is ideally placed to ensure that fans from Wales, England and around the world enjoy the tournament to the full.”
The long list of venues selected by ER 2015 and approved by the RWCL Board is as follows:
1. Villa Park, Birmingham
2. Brighton Community Stadium, Brighton
3. Ashton Gate, Bristol
4. Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
5. Coventry Stadium, Coventry
6. Pride Park, Derby
7. Kingsholm, Gloucester
8. Elland Road, Leeds
9. Leicester City Stadium, Leicester
10. Olympic Stadium, London
11. Twickenham Stadium, London
12. Wembley Stadium, London
13. Old Trafford, Manchester
14. Stadiummk, Milton Keynes
15. St James’ Park, Newcastle
16. St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton
17. Stadium of Light, Sunderland
