Writing in The Times, David Hands believes that the IRB need today's vote to go England's way for their Olympic hopes to come to fruition.
"If the decision to be made in Dublin today over the hosting of the 2015 and 2019 World Cups is of the utmost significance for England, so it is for the IRB itself.
"A smooth operation that sees its committee’s recommendations ratified by its council speaks of a governing body on top of its brief, three months before an even more critical vote that could mean rugby union is restored to the Olympic Games for the first time since 1924.
"If, however, the council chooses to ignore the dual proposal made this month by Rugby World Cup (RWC) — that England plays host in six years’ time and Japan in 2019 — that will not reflect well on the IRB. Since rugby went professional in 1995, the board has lobbied for the inclusion of sevens in the Olympics; four years ago, it was spurned for the London Games of 2012, but in Copenhagen in October the IOC will vote in two additional sports for the Games of 2016."
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