LONDON, (Reuters) – Closing the competiveness gap between the haves and the have-nots of the international game through investment and support remains a priority for World Rugby, the governing body said yesterday.
Ten second-tier rugby nations will compete at the Rugby World Cup which starts next week, with lesser lights such as Georgia, Uruguay and Japan mixing it with heavyweights New Zealand, England, Australia and South Africa.
World Rugby said it had injected approximately 34 million pounds ($52.33 million) between 2012 and 2015 into the 10 Rugby World Cup participating tier two nations — Canada, Fiji, Georgia, Japan, Namibia, Romania, Samoa, Tonga, Uruguay and the United States.
World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper said: “Rugby World Cup is the financial engine that drives the development and competitiveness of the global game and the continued commercial success of tournament has enabled World Rugby to invest a record 192 million pounds in the sustainability and growth of the game worldwide between 2012 and 2015.
