With the pool draw for Rugby World Cup 2019 set to take place in a matter of weeks, we're still waiting to learn which nation will be awarded the honour of hosting the 2023 tournament.
It's between Ireland, South Africa, and France, and while it seems like there's a different front-runner every couple of months, one writer for The Guardian has well and truly made up his mind as to where it should be held.
Robert Kitson, The Guardian's rugby union correspondent, has seen the light after a visit to the Aviva Stadium for Munster's loss to Saracens at the weekend. As a result of the atmosphere in Dublin, he has penned a passionate plea for Ireland to be awarded hosting duties for 2023, in which he waxes lyrical about the Irish fans, and the possible locations for the games.
From a seat in the Aviva Stadium over the weekend, with the Fields of Athenry being belted out at full volume, the answer felt almost too obvious. No country breeds more committed rugby supporters. For years Munster’s fans, in particular, have traversed Europe, lending colour and passion to places where such qualities are not always universal. Mix in the diehard followers of Leinster, Ulster and Connacht as well and local enthusiasm for rugby union, albeit in its provincial format, is hardly in short supply.
Kitson was also very impressed with the promotional video the IRFU put together for their pitch, as he believes that cities such as Limerick, Galway, and Belfast offer intriguing an interesting locations for big nations to play their matches, and dropped this gem regarding how charming the presentation was.
Short of each overseas visitor being promised a selfie with the Corrs, the package could not be more beguiling.
Perhaps he needs to update himself on Irish pop culture, but we'll let him off on that one.
It was not all gushing about our green fields and love for a singsong, as the issues facing Ireland's proposal were touched on, such as the low populations in certain areas meaning it may result in poor attendances for the less appealing group games, and the fact that it could very well rain for the entire tournament. However when factoring in the difficulties that South Africa and France face, there was no question for Kitson when it comes to who would put on the best spectacle.
He finished by hammering home his point that Ireland is comfortably the best option for World Rugby, and suggested that selecting Ireland would capture the hears and minds of rugby fans everywhere.
The indications, however, are that the race is not yet over. The technical bids are being painstakingly assessed, the geopolitical landscape is being carefully monitored and any recommendation will not be made on a whim. These processes have to be scrupulously fair, with the confirmed changes to the global fixture calendar from 2020 ruling out the horse-trading of fixtures that once shaped such outcomes. But step back for a moment, take a breath and ask what would capture people’s hearts and minds most in 2023: a Rugby World Cup in Ireland, France or South Africa? The answer, by a neck, is Ireland.
Some lovely words, it seems as though he has been feeling this way for a while now, but experiencing the Irish fans' passion for the sport first hand at The Aviva on Saturday amplified his feelings tenfold.
You can read Kitson's article in full over on The Guardian.
