Farr-Jones gets behind Japan's bid

Japan bid gets ready in Dublin

The IRB risks losing a golden opportunity to spread the game globally if they do not award the 2011 World Cup to Japan, according to former Australia captain Nick Farr-Jones.

Japan is bidding against New Zealand and South Africa to stage the 2011 tournament and the IRB will decide the winner at an official press conference in Dublin on Thursday.

The bidding team is staging its final presentation on Tuesday.

Farr-Jones, who was captain of the Australia team that won in the UK in 1991, insists that it is time for rugby's suits to expand their horizons.

The World Cup has never been staged in Asia but Farr-Jones, who skippered the Wallabies team that won the 1991 World Cup in Britain, said it was time rugby's power brokers took the plunge.

"It's just plain common sense," he said in an interview with Reuters.

"If we are serious about the spreading the game then the World Cup has to go to Japan.

"All of the previous World Cups have been held in traditional rugby countries but it's time for a change.

"This is a brave new frontier and it will take a leap of faith from the IRB, but I just hope they have the courage and conviction to do this."

As well as Farr-Jones, former World Cup-winning England captain Martin Johnson, and former B&I Lions Rob Andrew, Ieuan Evans and Jason Leonard have all publicly stated their support for the bid, and are working as ambassadors for it.

"I'm supporting this bid because I passionately believe in it," continued Farr-Jones.

"I'm sure if you did a poll, 90 percent of international players would say the World Cup should be played on a level playing field.

"I just hope the IRB is listening, because for too long the views of players have been ignored."

The former scrum-half insisted that not only could Japan boast a proven track record of staging big events, the financial success of the event would be massive.

He also said that the greatest benefit to the game would not be the financial one.

"I have great empathy for New Zealand and South Africa and their great rugby traditions but we have to start thinking about the next generation too," he said.

"We need a vision for the next 20 years, for countries like Japan, China, the United States, Russia and Argentina.

"And this is a chance for the IRB to send a message to those developing rugby nations that they care about them, that they want them to get bigger and better.

"I have no doubt that they'll embrace the game and can become major rugby powers themselves one day, but they won't get stronger if they don't get any help.

"The gap between the big rugby nations and the rest is getting bigger, not smaller. At every World Cup, everyone says we're going to do something about it, but no-one ever does and four years later, we talk about it again.

"Well, this is a chance to really do something about it. It's a great way to offer an olive branch to the minnows, not just Japan, but all of them."

There is only one obstacle standing in Japan's way according to Farr-Jones.

"Japan's biggest problem is that they don't have that great rugby tradition," he said.

"They've been playing rugby for a long time and have more registered players than most of the traditional rugby powers but they don't have that great history of rivalry other teams do.

"They can't sit around, drinking gin and tonics and talk about the good old days, this match and that match, or this great try or that great try.

"That just hasn't happened but that could change for them and all the other developing countries if they're just given the chance."