The Australian Rugby Union has lodged an expression of interest with the International Rugby Board to host another Rugby World Cup.

The IRB have asked member countries to flag their interest in staging the 2015 or 2019 tournaments, with a decision on the hosting rights for both events to be made next July.

The ARU will now conduct a thorough assessment on whether it will launch a full-scale bid for one of the tournaments.

The 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia carried costs of $120 million.

But by 2019, that commitment could exceed $300 million.

The 2003 World Cup attracted almost two million spectators to Australian venues, with a cumulative television audience of 3.4 billion in 193 countries.

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