The awarding of Rugby World Cup 2015 to England and the 2019 tournament to Japan heralds a new era for the sport around the globe according to International Rugby Board and Rugby World Cup Chairman Bernard Lapasset.
Lapasset, who announced the IRB Council's decision to accept the RWCL Board's recommendation in Dublin on Tuesday, believes that the combination will ensure two key objectives are met across the two tournaments.
"I think it is a good combination between two objectives that we need, with England in 2015 a strong financial result and for 2019 we need to grow the Game in another part of the world," said Lapasset.
"It is a new era for rugby, it is a good decision to extend the universality of rugby around the world. That is the combination that we need to extend rugby, to open new markets, to see that rugby is not just for the same people, but a lot of people around the world.
"It is good for the development of rugby in the world."
This was a sentiment echoed by Kit McConnell, the IRB's Head of Rugby World Cup, and IRB CEO and RWCL Managing Director Mike Miller, who labelled it "the best possible combination for the growth of rugby."
"First of all it brings certainty that the framework that we have for the next decade of Rugby will be basing Rugby World Cups both in Europe and in Asia," explained McConnell.
'A great framework'
"We have the balance that we were looking for between the hosts, in terms of the solidity and the strength on the commercial side and the showcase and full stadia with England, and then the development that Japan offers, both into the Japanese market and all of Asia, so it's a great balance and a great framework to move forward into the next decade of Rugby with."
The decision to announce the hosts for two Rugby World Cups together for the first time means that, in Japan's case, they have 10 years to prepare for showpiece event. However as Miller points out, that decade will fly by.
"Only 10 years to go until the World Cup in Japan. You may think that's a joke but actually it isn't - 10 years will fly by just as six years will fly by for England," he added.
"There is a lot to do, there is so much involved in organising a Rugby World Cup. Forty-eight matches over seven weeks with festivals in major cities, so I'm sure those years will fly by and we'll turn around and wonder how it's already 2019."
McConnell continued: "The next stage now is really to deal with the two Host Unions to identify the first key steps that will be taken in each case over the next six to 12 months, to build a relationship with them, build a planning framework with them and identify how we can use Rugby World Cup 2011 to provide a stepping stone for both of them towards their own successful tournaments."
