South Africa has "made clear that it is ready and prepared to host the 2019 Rugby World Cup if Japan is stripped of the tournament because of a failure to guarantee it can meet its obligations," according to Mark Souster of the SUNDAY TIMES. South Africa Rugby Union CEO Jarie Roux was in London for scheduled World Rugby meetings, "but it is believed he held separate talks about his country's readiness to step in if required." He provided the "necessary assurances and reiterated his country's desire to host the world's third-largest sporting event." Roux was "reluctant to confirm secret meetings had taken place." He said, "World Rugby is working with the Japanese Rugby Union to deliver the 2019 tournament. That makes it entirely inappropriate to speculate on any other scenario." Late last month World Rugby issued an ultimatum to the JRU, "demanding assurances on budgets, schedules and venues by the end of this month." This followed a decision by Japan PM Shinzo Abe to "revise plans for the new national stadium in Tokyo." The alternative is the stadium in Yokohama, which staged the 2002 FIFA World Cup final. This can "only hold 65,000 spectators, leaving a hole in financial and ticketing projections upon which Japan's bid were based." The "broadside may well be enough to focus minds in Japan," whose government has agreed to underwrite the £95M ($145M) guarantee the JRU made to World Rugby for the right to host the event. South Africa is "ideally placed to act as host." It has an "array of high quality stadiums, some of which have barely been used" since the FIFA World Cup in '10. To deny Japan its big moment "would not be an unprecedented move." In its previous incarnation as the Int'l Rugby Board, the governing body has "shown its mettle." In '03 it stripped New Zealand of co-host rights with Australia (SUNDAY TIMES, 9/5).
