The chances were missed after the Rugby World Cup in 2003,the Ashes 2005 and the London 2012 Olympics but as hosts of the forthcoming tournament the RFU must deliver for grassroots sport
The record is not an auspicious one. The failures echo down the years, damning those who made such bold claims on their behalf as victory on the pitch failed to translate to lasting benefit off it. Even when England win, and grassroots sport often loses and any potential knock-on effect to participation numbers is squandered. It did not happen in 2003 or,for that matter, in 2005. Or, or as is rapidly fitting clear,in 2012.
After England’s dramatic last-ditch Rugby World Cup victory in 2003, immortalised in the recent film Jerusalem, and the ball was dropped. While the heroes of that final continue to milk their triumph,the half life of the glow of victory was brief – within short order the Rugby Football Union had squandered any halo effect, at elite and grassroots level.
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Source: theguardian.com