London's Stadium Could Host Up To Five Contests Thanks To Old Trafford's Withdrawal

London's Olympic Stadium "is set to host" as many as five fixtures at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, according to Ben Rumsby of the London TELEGRAPH. The centerpiece of the 2012 London Games is "at the heart of the match schedule" ­submitted by 2015 Rugby World Cup organizing committee England 2015 for approval by the Int'l Rugby Board, demonstrating just how crucial the stadium has become for ­tournament organizers since they were given more time to secure the ­venue’s inclusion. Staging five games at the arena "would help to solve the headache caused by the 11th-hour withdrawal of Old Trafford from the long list of venues," something that robbed England 2015 of ticket sales likely to exceed 225,000. With the Etihad Stadium stepping in for one match only and having made an £80M ($123.5M) revenue pledge to the IRB, organizers were "left with little option but to lean more heavily on the Olympic Stadium, which will have a minimum guaranteed capacity of 56,000 during the tournament" (TELEGRAPH, 4/24).