France has been awarded the right to host the IRB Junior World Championship in 2013 and the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2014.

Since the IRB Junior World Championship began in 2008 almost 100 players have progressed to win full Test caps for their countries, underscoring its significant development role.

Many of the players on show in Italy at the Junior World Championship 2011 look set to follow the likes of Mathieu Bastareaud, Benjamin Fall and Wencelas Lauret for France, and other graduates including David Pocock, Patrick Lambie, Courtney Lawes and Zac Guildford to Test stardom.

“The International Rugby Board is delighted to be awarding France the right to host the IRB Junior World Championship in 2013,” said IRB Chairman, Bernard Lapasset. “The Fédération Française de Rugby, with its considerable major event hosting experience, is perfectly positioned to not only deliver an outstanding showcase for the future stars of world Rugby, but also a platform for Rugby to continue to reach out to new audiences and participants across France.

“With France also having been awarded Women’s Rugby World Cup 2014, this announcement underlines the appetite for hosting major international Rugby events following the tremendous success of Rugby World Cup 2007. I am sure that both events will be tremendously successful.”

Women’s rugby is becoming increasingly competitive, with emerging rugby nations such as Brazil, Kenya, China and Russia all committed to development and performance programmes, while Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013 in Moscow promises to underscore the global nature of women’s rugby.

“Women’s Rugby World Cup is the premier event in women’s fifteens rugby and since its inception in 1991 has provided the impetus for the global growth of the women’s game,” said Bernard Lapasset, who is also RWCL Chairman.  “In awarding the seventh Women’s Rugby World Cup 2014 to the FFR, we felt that the tournament would be ideally positioned to capitalise on the phenomenal success of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2010 and elevate the women’s game to new heights.”

IRB Women’s Development Manager Susan Carty said, “These are exciting times for Women’s Rugby, with over 200,000 women currently playing the game in over 100 countries around the world. In 2006 the IRB unveiled a Strategic Plan specifically for the women’s game which provided the impetus for the growth around the world, the strengthening of Women’s Rugby World Cup and the introduction of Women’s Rugby World Cup Sevens. The introduction of a women’s RWC Sevens competition in Dubai in 2009 was a huge success and the Women’s RWC 2010 in England showcased women’s rugby to the world.”

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