Reuters/London

The Rugby World Cup could grow to include 24 nations as the sport conquers new territories, according to World Rugby boss Brett Gosper.
Gosper has noted the calls for cricket’s showpiece to be scaled back but says, if anything, his sport is looking to grow its flagship event by 2023.
This year’s tournament in England and Wales will feature 20 nations, up from 16 when it began in 1987, compared to the 14 who started the elongated cricket tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
However, Gosper says “huge” demand for rugby on TV in Russia and Germany proves the game can expand beyond its traditional heartlands.
He also rejected the idea that more nations would damage the competitive nature of the tournament.
“The win margins in each World Cup are coming down and we hope that remains the case in 2015,” Gosper told reporters at a sports industry forum in London on Tuesday.
“We had discussions about Japan 2019 and taking it from 20 to 24 and we decided not to do that.
“But we have to keep an eye on the fact that some of these countries on the fringes can hugely expand the sport.
“We have countries like Russia and Germany which are just outside and have huge broadcast markets and something like the World Cup would be amazing for the popularity of the sport.
“You have to temper that with the realities of the competition, so it’s 20 in 2015 and also 2019 but as the sport grows and conquers new markets the debate is more likely to be whether it goes up rather than whether we should be reducing.”
Gosper said this year’s World Cup would be biggest in terms of broadcast viewing hours, the number of territories, commercial return and ticket sales and rejected suggestions that the host nation would not benefit.
“The (RFU) will do well out of ticket revenue, by the legacy that is provided, the growth of sport in the country,” he said.
“It’s a rare opportunity for the sport to project itself on the biggest global stage and the proof is that in 2023 the (hosting) fee will be higher but there is already a queue (to host it) and that’s exciting for the sport.”