World Rugby has confirmed Australia as host of the men’s World Cup in 2027 and the women’s in 2029 and England has been chosen to stage the 2025 women’s tournament, the governing body said on Thursday.
The United States was confirmed as the host of the men’s showpiece event in 2031 and will stage the women’s tournament two years later.
The hosts were finalised following a World Rugby Council meeting in Dublin.
Australia and England were earlier named “preferred candidates” while the US was in dialogue with World Rugby as part of a new selection model introduced last year that aims to accelerate the growth of the sport.
Australia will stage the men’s competition for the third time after 1987 — co-hosts with New Zealand — and 2003. England hosted the women’s event in 2010 it will be the first World Cup on American soil.
U.S. president Joe Biden last month backed his country’s bid, pledging to promote the sport in the country and deliver the “the most successful Rugby World Cups in history”.
Meanwhile, the World Rugby Council has voted unanimously to adopt five welfare-driven global trials into full law from July 1 and those will feature in the men’s and women’s World Cups.
World Rugby said the five laws had been approved after a global trial period of one year, where every player at all levels was able to play under them and have their say. The five laws include the 50:22 kick, goal line drop out, pre-bound pods of players, sanctioning of lower-limb clearout and latching.
“It is our mission to ensure that the laws are the best that they can be for everyone playing the game and the approval of these laws following detailed evaluation and widespread consultation, underscores that commitment,” said World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont.
The 50:22 kick refers to if the team in possession kicks the ball from inside their own half indirectly into touch inside their opponents’ 22 or from inside their own 22 into their opponents’ half, they will throw in to the resultant lineout.
Other laws include the awarding of a goal-line drop-out to the defending team when an attacking player, who brings the ball into in-goal, is held up.
Teams must also not use the “flying wedge”, an illegal type of attack which usually happens near the goal line, either from penalty or free kick or in open play. The sanction for it will be a penalty kick.
Players who target or drop their weight onto the lower limbs of a jackler -- the first arriving team mate of the tackler at the tackle -- will also be sanctioned with a penalty.
The governing body has also tightened its law relating to latching wherein one-player latch will be permitted, but this player must observe all of the requirements for a first arriving player, particularly the need to stay on their feet. Failure to do so will result in a penalty.
The scrum brake foot, trialled in this year’s Six Nations, will move from a closed to global trial, meaning it will also feature at the men’s and women’s World Cups in 2022 and 2023.
