Singapore, Hong Kong pull out of 2019 rugby World Cup co-hosting

May 11, 2011

The 2019 Rugby World Cup will take place entirely in Japan after confirmation that Singapore and Hong Kong will not act as partial hosts. Japan Rugby Football Union President Yoshiro Mori says Hong Kong and Singapore have pulled out of plans to stage some of the matches at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Japan was awarded the tournament after insisting in what it called a "tender for Asia" that it would allocate some pool matches to Hong Kong and Singapore to help globalise the sport. But the International Rugby Board has said matches must be staged within host nations unless there are special reasons to co-host them.

Speaking in Tokyo after an inspection tour by IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset, Mori told Japanese media that Hong Kong and Singapore had now informed the JRFU that they wanted no part in co-hosting Asia's first Rugby World Cup.
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