SRU target Rugby World Cup

After successfully staging the Under-21 World Championship earlier in the year, Scottish rugby bosses are setting their sights on hosting the Rugby World Cup.

The International Rugby Board's (IRB) lavish praise of the Scotland Rugby Union's (SRU) handling of the U21 event - which was eventually won by New Zealand - give the Scots the confidence to bid for the World Cup.

While the RWC is infinitely more work, close to 50,000 spectators watched the 30 games played during the U21 tournament, and SRU Chief Executive Phil Anderton was confident that Scotland would make a success of staging world rugby's showpiece event.

"We set out at the beginning of this competition to deliver two things: the first was an operationally flawless tournament and the second was to attract record crowds and to increase the interest in the sport in Scotland," said Anderton.

"We feel that we achieved both goals and I am personally delighted. We can now look to the future and consider bidding for the Rugby World Cup itself.

"We are extremely pleased that the International Rugby Board has commended us and I thank them for their comments."

IRB U21 tournament director Gethin Jenkins praised the efforts of the SRU in his post-event report.

"The success of this tournament has clearly demonstrated that the SRU has the ability to host world-class competitions and there is a general public with the appetite to view them," he said.

"The marketing and media promotion was unparalleled for a tournament of this nature and should be used as the model for future events."