The Olympic spirit is returning to Britain. Three years after London hosted a memorable games, England is preparing to stage this autumn’s Rugby World Cup, one of the biggest sporting events of 2015.
The tournament’s Sebastian Coe equivalent is Ian Ritchie, chief executive of the Rugby Football Union, English rugby’s governing body, in charge of making sure the event runs smoothly. “It really will be a festival environment,” he promises.
Such optimism is in sharp contrast to three years ago when Mr Ritchie started work at RFU headquarters in Twickenham, home to its imposing 80,000-seater stadium. He left a plum job — chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, organiser of Wimbledon — to rescue a governing body riven by infighting, legal wrangles and leaks. The England team had just completed a miserable 2011 World Cup campaign noted for off-field player indiscipline and revelry . “I came at quite an interesting time,” Mr Ritchie recalls with understatement.