Olympic Stadium could host RWC fixtures

London’s Olympic Stadium has emerged as a potential venue to stage Rugby World Cup matches when England and Wales host the competition in 2015.

The Daily Telegraph has reported that the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) has formally submitted an application for the venue to host matches during the tournament.

The bid is reportedly receiving serious consideration from England Rugby 2015, the organising company for the World Cup.

The newspaper adds that the Olympic Stadium could host a number of high-profile pool matches, along with the tournament’s third-place play-off – with the final taking place at Twickenham.

Paul Vaughan, the chief executive of England Rugby 2015, said: ‘It would be great to have a world-class event in a world-class venue. It will help the Olympic legacy as well, so we are very keen to work with them on that, particularly because rugby is going to go into the Olympics in 2016 in Brazil.’

England Rugby 2015 is expected to announce its host venues early next year, with a potential problem concerning whether the Olympic Stadium will be able to meet International Rugby Board criteria for tournament stadia - which include the requirement that venues are free of advertising.