The argument appears to be that Welford Road should be included for largely nostalgic reasons - as it has hosted games in previous World Cups and is the home to the “iconic” Leicester Tigers.
The counter-argument, from England Rugby 2015, is that the pitch is too small, the area around the pitch is too narrow and there is not enough space to accommodate the host broadcasters.
There also happens to be an alternative venue in Leicester – the horribly named King Power Stadium – which ticks all of the boxes and which has a greater capacity.
This may upset Tigers fans, but I’m with the organisers on this one. As evidenced by much of this blog, I am a huge supporter of nostalgia and tradition, but if the Olympics showed us anything it was that world class sporting events require world class venues.
England 2015 is right to think big. It has an opportunity to stage a truly world class tournament for which world class stadia with world class facilities will be needed.
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