Rugby: England will host the 2015 Rugby World Cup and Japan will stage the event in Asia for the first time four years later, the International Rugby Board (IRB) Council announced in Dublin today.
Japan, who lost out to New Zealand in the bidding for the 2011 edition, and England, hosts of the 1991 tournament, were awarded the rights ahead of bids from South Africa and Italy.
The controversy of previous decisions caused by the "horse-trading" of votes was avoided as the 26-man IRB Council passed the recommendations of tournament organisers Rugby World Cup Ltd (RWCL) by 16 votes to 10.
The RWCL Board, who were asked to review all the bids, argued last month that England would maximise the event's commercial possibilities while a first World Cup in Asia would be a huge boost for the development of the game in that region.
"We need two things more importantly now. The first is money for the game and the second is rolling it around the world," IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said after announcing the winners.
England failed in its bid for the 2007 tournament when France won votes from the Home Unions after promising matches to Wales, Scotland and Ireland while Japan were surprising losers last time.
Organisers did not want matches to be shared with neighbouring countries, as has been common in several previous tournaments, and England have already agreed to use the iconic soccer stadiums of Wembley, Old Trafford and Anfield.
It will be a far cry from the second World Cup in 1991 when England, winners 12 years later, held group matches in small rugby grounds and - like Wales eight years later - held major matches in Scotland and Ireland.
Japan, who have won only one World Cup match in six tournaments, will take advantage of facilities used for the successful 2002 soccer World Cup co-hosted with South Korea.
They have again bid to stage the global soccer showpiece in 2018 or 2022, while Tokyo is in the running for the 2016 Olympics.
Australia, Ireland and Scotland had shown initial interest in the two rugby World Cups up for grabs but withdrew before the deadline for bid submissions due to financial pressures.
The IRB requires a fee of £80million (€93m) for the 2015 tournament and £96 m (€111m) for 2019. The board also keeps all commercially generated revenue with the hosts retaining only ticket revenue.
However a recent report conducted by Deloitte calculated the World Cup could generate more than £2billion (€2.32billion) in economic benefits for the host nation.
"We've been trusted to make a great competition in 2015, a great spectacle and to deliver what the IRB needs in terms of revenue," Martyn Thomas, England's IRB Council member said.
