Rugby: South Africa the obvious choice to host 2023 Cup

Nelson Mandela and Springboks captain Francois Pienaar at the finish of the 1995 World Cup. Photo / AP

Unless the United States, or another exotic wild card makes a late bid, the 2023 World Cup hosting rights have to - surely - be given to South Africa.

As it stands, Italy, Ireland, Argentina and South Africa are the four countries who have confirmed they are lodging bids.

France and Australia have made vague noises about it and World Rugby have never hidden their belief that the US - possibly in conjunction with Canada - will host a World Cup at some stage. If they do, their case will be intriguing but perhaps their time is 2027.

Expressions of interest to host the 2023 tournament open on May 14 and close a month later, with full tender documents released in May 2016 and a winner announced in 2017.

By 2023, South Africa will be long overdue another opportunity to host a World Cup. By then, it will be 28 years since they were hosts. For a country that has given so much and remains integral to the growth and future direction of the global game, that's too long.

New Zealand had to wait 24 years between hosting events - and when they won the 2011 bid, it felt absolutely right. As much as World Rugby want to use the showpiece event to grow and expose the game to emerging rugby markets, there is also a need to acknowledge and reward foundation nations.

And South Africa is most definitely a foundation nation. Pick any measurement - player numbers, international achievement, audience size, sponsor investment - and they are up there.

South Africa are Commonwealth Games sevens champions, their under-20 side were beaten finalists at the Junior World Cup last year and the Springboks are one of the great rugby institutions.

The Boks are steeped in history - and the fact they have thrived in the new South Africa is one of modern sport's great stories.

Once a symbol of a regime everyone would rather forget - they are now a team that reflects the new direction of South Africa.

The galvanising force of the 1995 World Cup has been immortalised in John Carlin's brilliant book Playing the Enemy (which was the basis of the film Invictus).

The Springboks became the most unlikely vehicle of unification and former President Nelson Mandela in his No 6 jersey shaking hands with victorious captain Francois Pienaar is a defining image of the age.

The 1995 World Cup wasn't just a stunning triumph in the unification process, it was a superbly hosted tournament.

It was the first that had been confined to one host nation and that enabled it to capture the audience more effectively than the previous tournaments which had been hosted by multiple nations.

The Rugby World Cup came of age in 1995 and established itself as a permanent part of the landscape. Until then, it had still felt a little experimental - more of a festival than a serious tournament.

The magic of South Africa changed that and, by 2023, the time will be right to go back to the Republic. It will be a classic tournament of old and new: the iconic Ellis Park and new-age Soccer City Stadium in Soweto; Newlands and the Cape Town Stadium; Loftus Versfeld and the Odi Stadium - historic rugby venues and purpose-built football stadiums providing World Rugby with the chance to bask in tradition, celebrate the dynamism of new South Africa and make plenty of money in the process.

South Africa 2023 - that has to be the winning bid.