Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) have chosen both countries as their preferred hosts but that decision has to be rubber-stamped at by the IRB's 26-member Council at a meeting in Dublin.

 

 

England, who's current bid includes matches being played at various football grounds like Wembley Stadium, Anfield and Old Trafford as well as traditional rugby venues, is bidding to host the tournament for the first time since 1999.

 

Japan has never staged the event.

 

Francis Baron, the chief executive of the Rugby Football Union (RFU), said: "Our desire is to broaden rugby's horizons by reaching out and embracing new audiences.

 

"The RFU is committed to investing 100 per cent of its surplus from the tournament back into the grass-roots game."

 

England's bid is only for the 2015 competition and is up against rival bids from South Africa, Italy and Japan.

 

Japan are taking nothing for granted.

 

Nobby Mashimo, the vice-president of the Japan Rugby Football Union, said: "I think we have done everything we could.

 

Japan, champions in Asian rugby but minnows on the global stage, narrowly lost to New Zealand four years ago in the 2011 World Cup bid.

 

If selected, Japan will be the first country outside rugby's heartlands - Europe, South Africa and Oceania - to host the quadrennial World Cup since its inception in 1987.

 

Mashimo said: "Our message to the IRB council members is that 60 per cent of the world's population lives in Asia and with 26 unions it could fire rugby."

 

Under Japan's plan, one of the World Cup pools will be split between Singapore and Hong Kong, home to the world's biggest Sevens tournament.

 

Japan coach and All Black legend John Kirwan has said: "I think we saw how much soccer grew in 2002 when the World Cup was in Japan and we have the same dream."

 

Japan and South Korea co-hosted the 2002 football World Cup and both achieved their best-ever results. Japan reached the last 16 and South Korea finished fourth.

 

By hosting the World Cup, Japan hopes to more than double the average number of Test match spectators to 40,000 and boost the number of registered players from the present 125,000 to 200,000 by the year 2015.

 

Mashimo said: "Hosting the World Cup would change the subdued popularity of Japanese rugby.

 

"We want to bring back good news no matter how."