In a statement to the press FIR president, Giancarlo Dondi, said: "It's a new cornerstone in the development of Italian rugby which the whole movement should be proud of. At the moment we are waiting to have the documentation from the IRB with which to make our bid official. Successively we will be able to get to work on presenting the best project possible to the IRB in order to bring to Italy the world's third most important sporting event after the football World Cup and the Olympics".
The International Rugby Board (IRB) began the tender process for the 2015 and 2019 championships by inviting expressions of interest from potential host nations. England and Wales are considering making a joint bid for 2015, whilst Japan is also considering bidding for the same year.
The IRB will announce the winning bidders for both events in July 2009.
