Sydney - Australia cannot afford to host the 2015 Rugby World Cup and may not bid for the 2019 competition either, Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O'Neill said Tuesday.
O'Neil said the International Rugby Board (IRB) was insisting the host assume all costs as well as a tournament guarantee fee.
As well as financial concerns were the time constraints, because the IRB will announce the 2015 and 2019 hosts on July 28, six years before the first tournament and 10 years before the next.