2. The Tournament
Putting Rugby First

The Alternative Tender

Two top sporting events that capture the imagination of audiences worldwide are the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. The key to their success is scale.

Our vision for the structure and format of the RWC 2007 will give it a scale to challenge the Olympics and the
FIFA World Cup as sporting spectacles.

Building upon the success of previous RWCs, we also want to create an event of such impact that it makes a significant difference to the development of the sport and fulfils the mission of the IRB 'to promote, foster, develop, extend and govern the Game'.

So what are we suggesting?

An 88-match Event that is divided into two tournaments: the RWC and the RWNC. The two tournaments will be inter-linked and will be played over a 45-day period, commencing on a Friday and concluding on a Sunday.

We are proposing three major innovations:

• a revised second phase for the RWC Knockout rounds to include a Super 8 stage that will replace the traditional quarter-finals

• a reduction in the number of teams in the RWC from 20 to 16

• the introduction of a second tournament, the RWNC for a further 20 teams to run in parallel with the main competition.

These innovations will bring commercial, developmental and competitive benefits.

Commercial Benefits

We believe our Preferred Option will deliver a number of substantial commercial benefits to the IRB and the world game:

• more matches between the seeded sides in the RWC will increase television audiences to the benefit of broadcasters and sponsors

• the delivery of an additional 40 matches to the existing format will increase market size and enhance the value of the property to sponsors

• more countries means more markets for broadcast rights sales

• the costs of running the RWNC will be covered by the increased surplus from the overall Event. Neither the participating nations nor the IRB will be asked to make a financial contribution

• substantially enhanced income streams for RWC Ltd and the IRB

• the potential of a significant reduction in the IRB's costs to fund the running of qualifying competitions for 2007 and 2011.

Developmental Benefits

We are confident that our Preferred Option will deliver some key benefits for the development of the global game:

• increased international involvement to 36 teams will provide an additional 16 participating nations compared to the Traditional Tender

• coaching and officiating development opportunities for countries in the RWNC through exchanging ideas, improved training methods and sharing best practice

• the encouragement of greater international Volunteer participation to help improve and develop the administration of the game worldwide

• the proposed linking of the two Tournaments provides a competitive pathway for teams from developing Unions.

Competitive Benefits

We believe our Preferred Option will deliver a number of competitive benefits for players, spectators, broadcasters and commercial partners:

• to win the Tournament, the champion nation will have to have played five of the top eight seeded teams which is not the case with the Traditional Tender

• the quality of the competition will be improved by minimising non-competitive matches through the reduction in the number of teams in the RWC

• with eight Super 8 matches there will be an additional four high quality matches compared to the quarter-final stage in the Traditional Tender.

In the following sections we detail how the two tournaments will be structured.

The Rugby World Cup

Who will participate in RWC 2007?

The qualification criteria for the RWC is obviously a matter for the IRB to determine, however for RWC 2007 we are proposing that the following teams qualify automatically:

• the eight quarter-finalists from RWC 2003

• the two top countries in the IRB/Zurich rankings in 2005 who were not quarter-finalists in RWC

• the remaining six teams would qualify from the existing IRB Regional Tournaments in 2005/2006. For example, two teams could qualify from the Americas, two teams from Europe/Africa and two teams from Asia/Oceania.

How will the Qualification Competitions work for RWC 2007?

Based on the above proposals, ten teams will pre-qualify from RWC 2003 and the IRB Rankings in 2004/5 with an additional six countries qualifying from the existing or enhanced IRB Regional Tournaments.

We propose that the IRB create three qualification areas based on similar time zones covering the Americas, Europe/Africa and Asia/Oceania. We have set out in Chart A (see page 8) the details of those countries and competitions that could be involved in the qualification process for RWC 2007 for illustration purposes only.

How will the Qualification Competitions work for RWC 2011?

For RWC 2011, it would be possible to determine qualification by performance in the RWC and RWNC Tournaments in 2007. Accordingly, we are proposing, for the IRB's consideration the following qualification criteria for RWC 2011:

• the eight Super 8 qualifiers from RWC 2007 would automatically qualify

• the four winners of the RWC 2007 Pool Knockout round would automatically qualify

• the winner of RWNC 2007 would automatically qualify

• a RWC Challenge Round will be introduced to determine the remaining three qualifiers. We believe this should be played a week before the RWC commences in the Host Union. The Challenge Round would involve the six regional qualifiers illustrated in Chart B (see page 8). The three winners of the Challenge Round would qualify for RWC 2011 and the three losers would qualify for RWNC 2011.

• these six countries would qualify for one of the two tournaments in 2011, so by playing the Challenge Round in the week before the Event, the additional costs of play-off matches will be saved.

To illustrate the possible qualifiers for 2011, a number of assumptions need to be made regarding the possible results in 2007. This is obviously a highly speculative process but a necessity for illustrative purposes. The assumptions we have made are set out in Chart B.

We are proposing to the IRB that the same three qualification areas as for RWC 2007 qualification are used based upon similar time zones covering the Americas, Europe/Africa and Asia/Oceania.

Chart B shows the 13 pre-qualifying countries together with how the Challenge Round places could be decided. The chart also shows the countries and competitions we believe could be used in the qualification process.
These proposals assume the retention of a 16 team RWC Tournament for 2011, but it could easily be modified should the IRB decide to revert to the format of a 20 team Tournament.

We believe that it is important for the IRB to retain and develop the existing IRB Regional Tournaments which provide appropriate competition in each of the IRB Regions. Our Qualification Process proposal provides for those tournaments to be designated as RWC Qualifying Tournaments in a specific competition season. For both 2007 and 2011, the teams participating in RWC Qualifying Tournaments would be determined by the positions of the teams in the relevant Regional Tournaments of the previous season.

The costs involved for RWC and the participating Unions would be reduced as a result of this approach. For 2007, with six qualifiers from the Regional Tournaments, there would be no requirement for a Challenge Round and there would only be a small number of repechage rounds in Africa/Europe. These savings would be further increased in 2011 by playing the repechage play-off rounds as a Challenge Round in the Host Union in the week prior to the Rugby World Cup 2011. This will remove the need for the existing expensive cross-region ‘home and away’ repechage matches.

Regions should be encouraged to develop the existing opportunities for teams to be promoted to the RWC Qualifying Tournament through the existing Regional hierarchy, for example the FIRA Competitions.

The introduction of these new proposals for the RWC Qualification Process should have no effect on the existing IRB Regional Tournaments. These Tournaments are important for the development of the Game in each Region and the RWC Qualification Process should be complementary to the annual tournament programme.

What will be the format of RWC 2007?

The Tournament will be played in three stages: the Pool stage; the Super 8 stage; and the Knockout stage.

Stage 1 - The Pool stage

The 16 teams will be allocated into four pools of four teams. Seedings will be determined by the IRB. Each team will play three games against the other teams in their pool, making a total of six games per pool.

The top two teams from each pool will progress to the next stage of the competition, the Super 8.

The two bottom teams from each pool will go to a qualifying Knockout round, the Pool Knockout round.
The winners of this Pool Knockout round will take no further part in the competition and we recommend, as set out earlier, that these teams should automatically qualify for RWC 2011. The four losing teams, the ‘Lucky Losers’, will join the RWNC at the quarter-final stage.

Although we recommend the approach outlined above, there are other alternatives. For example, the winners of the Pool Knockout round could qualify for the RWNC quarter-finals, or all eight teams that fail to qualify for the Super 8 stage could enter the RWNC at the last 16 stage. We would be more than pleased to discuss the relative merits of these alternatives with RWC.

Attacking rugby will be encouraged To encourage attacking rugby and incentivise losing teams, points for each game will be awarded on the following basis: 4 points for a win 2 points for a draw 0 points for a loss 1 bonus point for scoring 4 tries or more 1 bonus point for a team losing by 7 points or less.

Stage 2 - The Super 8 stage

The two qualifying teams from each of Pool A and B will form a Super 8 group of four (‘Super 8 One’).

The two teams that qualify from the same pool will bring forward with them the result and points awarded from the match played between them in the pool round. Each team will then play each of the two teams qualifying from the other pool. Points will be awarded as per the pool stage. Upon completion of the Super 8 stage the top two teams from each group will progress to the Knockout stage.

Teams qualifying from Pool C and Pool D will form the second Super 8 group of four (‘Super 8 Two’), playing on the same basis as Super 8 One.

To maximise the value of all Super 8 matches and to ensure that the greatest number of teams have the opportunity to qualify for the semi-finals throughout the Super 8 stage, the following schedule of matches is proposed:

This will provide eight, high quality Super 8 matches compared to four played in a traditional quarter-final
format. This will also enable the high capacity world class venues of Old Trafford, Manchester and Twickenham to be used to host the games.

Stage 3 - The Knockout stage

The culmination of the Tournament comprises the semi-finals, the 3rd/4th place play-off and the final. The semi-finals will be between the winners of Super 8 One and the runner-up of Super 8 Two and, conversely, the winner of Super 8 Two and runner-up of Super 8 One.
The final will, of course, be played between the two winning semi-finalists. Under this structure, no two teams will have played against each other more than once on their way to the final. The 3rd/4th place play-off will be contested by the losing semi-finalists.

We believe that this format will deliver a number of significant advantages:

• the Super 8 provides an intense and competitive second phase and has been warmly welcomed by ITV, the host broadcaster should the Event be awarded to England

• the revisions to the format provide quality with quantity; 16 leading teams with more competitive, high value matches
  

Where will the matches be played in RWC 2007?

It is important that appropriately sized venues are used throughout the Tournament. A large stadium with a small crowd creates little atmosphere for the players and does not look good on television.

Venues will be allocated on a graded match basis, with the grades being determined by the combination of Foundation and non-Foundation Unions in the Pool rounds, with the Super 8 and Knockout stage matches graded together, as detailed below.

Selection criteria have been used to identify the most appropriate stadia. These include ease of access and transportation links, facilities and amenities, demographics, safety and security and revenue potential.

England now has a magnificent range of stadia for both rugby and football spread throughout the country. The Taylor Report accelerated improvements in seating and spectator facilities and the boom in football has generated massive investment in expanded facilities.



Alfred Mcalpine Stadium - Huddersfield

To maximise revenue it is recommended that all England matches, the semi-finals and the final should be played at Twickenham which, subject to planning permission, will have increased its capacity to 82,000 by 2005.

It is our intention to discuss with the other Home Unions the opportunity to lease their National Stadia to host appropriate matches in the Tournament. We reserve the right, therefore, to substitute these venues into the match programme, subject to the negotiation of suitable terms, with the Home Unions.
In addition, we have received confirmation from the Chief Executive of Wembley Stadium plc (see Appendix 1 -
The Tournament) that the new Wembley Stadium will be completed in January 2006. As a result, we are now proposing to stage a number of matches at Pool, Super 8 and Knockout stage at this 90,000 seat capacity stadium.

Based on the above grading system, this Option will deliver the following numbers of matches per match grade:

Having access to stadia with large seating capacities and state-of-the-art facilities, we will ensure that the Tournament has a good regional spread and exposes the game to different audiences.

Match Venue Agreements will be entered into reflecting the requirements of the Host Union Agreement and other relevant RWC Ltd agreements.

Comparison of RWC Options

In the Alternative Tender, 45% of the total number of games will be in Grade A/A* compared to 31% for the Traditional Tender. From a rugby perspective, this clearly demonstrates the benefits of the innovations outlined in the Alternative Tender, specifically:

• minimising non-competitive matches

• producing more high quality matches between top seeded teams

• increased spectator interest.

The chart below provides a full comparison summary for the two options:

Number of matches in Grades A, A*, B and C:

How will RWC 2007 be delivered?

A Tournament Managing Director will be appointed to manage the RWC. Reporting to him will be directors responsible for ticketing, marketing, operations, media and television. He will also liaise closely with the RFU Finance Director to ensure appropriate financial and budgetary control.

Central to the organisation of the Tournament will be the operations function that will have responsibility for Competitions and Venue/Match Management.

A Technical Committee consisting of professional and operational staff will be established, similar to that which worked so successfully at the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games. This Committee will co-ordinate the competition and match functions within the overall framework of the Tournament. The specific areas of responsibility of the Technical Committee will include:

• logistics for the participating teams

• travel co-ordination

• accommodation

• training venues

• Volunteer and Liaison Officer recruitment management

• medical and anti-doping provision

• officiating

• 'Field of Play' management

• VIP and protocol administration

• provision of team venue requirements.

Competitions Management teams will be appointed for each of the pools, and the knockout stages. In addition, up to four Venue/Match Management teams will be deployed to work closely with the Stadium Managers, Security Director and England 2007 Ltd Marketing Director
(see Section 7 - Administration) to ensure the venues meet the requirements of the Host Union Agreement.

The Rugby World Nations Cup

Who will participate in RWNC 2007?

Following discussions with a number of IRB Council Unions and FIRA, we have listened carefully to their concerns regarding the cost and size of the RWNC proposal.
We have also taken into account the views of non-Council developing Unions who have written to us following the publication of our existing proposal.

As a result of this input, we have adapted the RWNC Tournament from 32 teams to 20 teams to ensure the opportunity for all Unions, big or small, to host RWC and RWNC Tournaments in subsequent years. We accept the argument that it is better to start a new tournament with a smaller number of countries to ensure long term sustainability. This will allow the RWNC Tournament to develop and grow in subsequent years.

We propose that 20 nations be invited to participate in the RWNC representing each of the IRB regions. The 20 teams would qualify according to their results in the existing IRB Regional Tournaments with consideration given to geographical balance and representation. For example, eight teams could qualify from FIRA Tournaments in Europe. Africa could provide four qualifiers, the Americas and Oceania three qualifiers and Asia two qualifiers from their respective world region.

For illustration purposes only, the 20 teams shown in the chart below could qualify for the RWNC based on 16 teams taking part in the RWC. It is acknowledged that some of these teams have qualified for RWC 2003 in Australia and may well qualify for RWC 2007. We have also made the assumption that the following countries will have qualified for RWC 2007: Canada and Uruguay from the Americas, Romania and Italy from Europe/Africa and Japan and Fiji from Asia/Oceania, again for illustrative purposes only.

For illustration purposes only:

What will be the format of RWNC 2007?

The Tournament will be played in three stages: the Pool stage; Quarter Finals; and the Knockout stage.

Stage 1 - The Pool stage

The 20 teams will be allocated into four pools of five teams with each team playing the other four teams in the pool. There will be ten matches in each pool making a total of 40 pool matches. The same points system will be used as for the RWC. Seedings will be determined by the IRB.

Stage 2 - Quarter Finals

On completion of the Pool stage, the four pool winners will be joined by the four ‘Lucky Losers’ from the RWC Pool Knockout round in the quarter-finals round.

Stage 3 - The Knockout stage

The culmination of the Tournament comprises the
semi-finals, the 3rd/4th place play-off and the final.
The 3rd/4th place play-off will be contested by the losing semi-finalists and will be played as a warm up match directly before the final of RWNC.

In addition to the prestige of winning the trophy, we propose that the victorious nation is rewarded by automatic entry into the RWC in 2011. A schematic chart of the proposed RWNC Tournament structure together with how it is linked to the RWC is included in Appendix 1 - The Tournament.

Where will the RWNC 2007 matches be played?

England will be divided into four regions based on a combination of counties to make full use of the existing RFU infrastructure. Each region will have its own RWNC Committee that will run the pool allocated to its region.

The aim of each Regional Committee will be to spread the Pool matches across its region using rugby club grounds. We have identified 54 possible venues capable of hosting RWNC Pool matches, all providing a minimum capacity of 3,000.

Selection criteria, such as capacity, access, safety and medical facilities, will be used to choose the grounds following an open tender process from these identified venues. For the quarter-finals and semi-finals, the larger of the 54 venues with a minimum capacity of 8,000 will be used. For the final, a capacity of 12,000 to 15,000 will be required and we propose to utilise the excellent facilities at one of the Premiership grounds that will also be used for the RWC competition.

The format we have chosen best suits the game in England and enables us to engage and utilise the expertise and knowledge in our community game. However, the RWNC concept allows for considerable flexibility of approach. Other Unions can adapt the tournament structure to meet their own circumstances and facilities.

Chart D above provides some examples of how other Unions may choose to deliver a RWNC in parallel with RWC in 2011, and seeks to illustrate without being prescriptive, the opportunities other Host Unions could consider.

Time Commitment for Amateur Players

We recognise that amateur players from developing Unions who proceed to the later stages of the RWNC will be making a significant time commitment away from their homes and jobs. However, this must be balanced against the tremendous opportunity afforded to those players. Just as for those athletes who are selected for the Olympics and major Regional multi-sports games, taking part in RWNC 2007 will be the pinnacle of the player’s sporting endeavour, an experience he will carry with him for life.

Having said that of course, it has to be remembered that only four teams progress further than the Pool rounds, so the issue of time commitment will only affect a small proportion of participants.

How will RWNC 2007 be delivered?

The four Regional Committees will utilise the large base of active players and administrators that help deliver thousands of matches in England throughout the rugby season. We intend to make best use of this Volunteer network to deliver a successful competition.

A separate Tournament Managing Director will be appointed to manage the RWNC and co-ordinate the work of the Regional Committees. In addition, Match Committees will be appointed at each venue to be responsible for training facilities, medical provision, social events and support programmes.

The RFU will supply central co-ordination and support through its full-time staff including the 54 Rugby Development Officers based around the country.
This significant manpower resource will provide organisational and marketing support, such as:

• arranging accommodation and a social programme for visiting teams

• co-ordinating ticket sales and local sponsorship

• liaising with local tourist boards and local authorities

• delivering grass roots programmes, such as half-time mini-rugby clinics

• creating and encouraging educational initiatives and schools involvement

• community relations

• publicising the matches and liaising with local media.

In order to help with team liaison and organisation the RFU proposes to invite two Volunteer Administrators from each of the 20 participating teams to England to be included in the Tournament administration. Ten of the visiting Volunteers will be seconded to each of the four regions and will be fully integrated into the administration of the RWNC in that region.

The intention is to exchange knowledge and experience on the staging and managing of a major event. These administrators can share this knowledge on their return home to help run and organise the development of the game in their country. They would arrive one month before the competition commences and their expenses will be met by England 2007 Ltd.

We believe that the involvement of Volunteers at local and regional level, together with the 40 visiting Volunteers, will be a significant legacy for the international development of the sport.