Ready for the world.

Former England boss Stuart Lancaster has backed Ireland to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup following yesterday’s final presentation to World Rugby.

Lancaster has lived in Ireland for the last year after taking up role with Leinster and he sees similarities to when England hosted rugby’s showpiece event back in 2015. Lancaster was in charge of England in the build-up and throughout the 2015 event.

“100% confident and having lived here for a year, I think it would be an unbelievable place to hold a World Cup,” he said.

“I was involved in the lead up to the England bid and over the four years in the lead up to the 2015 World Cup and being there during the World Cup, there’s no doubt in my mind Ireland can do an equally good job.

“The key thing I think is you’ve got all parties aligned and all wanting to achieve things together. In England it was the soccer stadiums, the government, the RFU and the public. The will of the country wanted it to work and I think when you’ve got that as a collective.

“When I look now at Ireland’s bid, you’ve got the government, the IRFU, the GAA, the country. You’ve got such a strong powerful case for a World Cup in Ireland and for me coming from the outside and being involved in watching some of the sporting events in Ireland; whether it be the Six Nations, the big European games we’ve played in in the Aviva. I went to the All-Ireland hurling final at Croke Park, I mean it’s an unbelievable stadium and the ability of Ireland to put on sporting events is second to none really.

“And you add on the spectator experience, I mean is there a better country to come and have a rugby experience and social experience? I don’t think there is to be honest”

“In fact I was speaking to a taxi driver the other day, I was going to the airport and I said to him ‘when you take people to the airport, how many say actually Dublin or Ireland didn’t live up to expectations?’ He said in 15 years not one has ever said that, they’ve all said they’ve had an unbelievable time.

“I’m 100% behind it and it would be brilliant for the country. They’d do a great job.”

A final decision on the tournament host will be made on November 15.