Revised Rugby World Cup match schedule on table

Frenchman Bernard Lapasset. Photo / Greg Bowker

The world's top rugby nations yesterday supported a review of the number of rest days between Rugby World Cup matches.

Cup minnows have been critical that they have had a shorter recovery time between matches than the top-tier countries at this year's tournament.

A meeting of the IRB's tier-one chairmen and chief executives in Auckland yesterday committed to playing mid-week matches during the 2015 cup to help achieve a better balance for tier-two and tier-three unions.

Delegates also unanimously recommended retaining the current format of 20 teams spilt across four pools.

The meeting also endorsed the commitment to review the cup commercial model, and revenue distribution.

While the meeting was not a decision-making forum, key recommendations will be put forward to the IRB executive committee and/or IRB council.

IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset said: "The success of Rugby World Cup has been essential to the global prosperity and growth of our sport over the last decade. It has delivered the financial platform to enable more men, women and children to participate across all continents over the next decade.

"A review of the format and match schedule is undertaken after every tournament. This scheduled meeting, its recommendations, coupled with the ongoing commercial model review, will ensure that Rugby World Cup continues to serve the needs of the global game at every level while reinforcing its place as one of the world's premier sports events."