SYDNEY - Although it is acknowledged the best World Cup tournaments have been hosted exclusively by one country, the IRB are confident the 2007 edition based in France will be similarly successful as Australia 2003.
IRB chairman Dr Syd Millar branded this year's tournament as the best-ever when holding his final
media conference in Sydney.
The 1995 tournament held in South Africa was considered the previous benchmark, but Millar said France, although sharing the event with Scotland, Wales and Ireland, were capable of staging a similar spectacle.
"It depends on the organisation and the format."
He said it could be argued the Australian tournament was effectively held in three countries, considering the distances between Sydney and the Aussie Rules strongholds of Perth and Adelaide.
"If you flew four hours from London, you would end up in Moscow," Millar said, playing down suggestions that the sixth World Cup could be fragmented by distance.
The 2007 tournament will be staged across 13 cities in France, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, and will be drawing on a number of strategies developed for this year's World Cup.
In France, matches will be played in Saint-Denis, Paris, Nantes, Lyons, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Montpellier, Marseilles, Saint-Etienne and Lens.
Games will also be held in Cardiff, Dublin and Edinburgh.
ARU boss John O'Neill said Australia's task was made much easier by holding the tournament in their own right rather than sharing it with New Zealand, as was initially planned.
Millar confirmed the French tournament would also have 20 teams, despite the number of mis-matches and inflated scorelines in pool play when major nations were pitted against teams several levels lower in quality and skill.
"There was a lot of support for the smaller teams and they will value the experience of being on the same field as the bigger nations."
Millar said anomalies with the draw also had to be remedied.
- AGENCIES
