Greater "uncertainty around stadium infrastructure" saw Ireland's 2023 Rugby World Cup bid rated "the weakest," according to Conor Neville of RTÉ. World Rugby's review of the three bids said that Ireland's proposed match venues "require considerable work" and indicated that this made the bid a "higher risk" proposition than its competitors. The technical review group -- "made up of a 20-plus strong panel" -- assessed and scored each of the bids on five criteria. In "descending order of importance," they were: finance and tournament guarantees; venues and host cities; tournament infrastructure; vision and concept; and tournament organization and schedule. The Irish bid "was praised in several areas" and the report described all three candidate submissions as "outstanding." Ireland "scored highly" for "vision and hosting concept," with World Rugby rating its concept as "more creative" than the other two bids. The report singled out Pearse Stadium, Fitzgerald Stadium and Páirc Uí Chaoimh as "requiring a great deal of work to bring them up to Rugby World Cup standard." World Rugby also noted that Casement Park "was still subject to a planning approval." The report said, "The amount of upgrade work required introduces complexity and therefore a significant risk factor that is not inherent in the other two bids" (RTÉ, 10/31).
