The South African Rugby Union (SARU) has revealed their intention to officially bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup to be staged in South Africa.

With the 2015 World Cup taking place in England later this year and the 2019 event set to be hosted by Japan, as the first Rugby showpiece in Asia, the 2023 hosting rights are up for grabs.

The announcement of the 2023 host union will be made in May 2017, providing the successful bidding nation with plenty of time to prepare for the competition and use Japan 2019 as a case study to learn from.

“We definitely expect to be bidding to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup – as we have for the past three tournaments,” said SARU CEO Jurie Roux in a statement.

He added, “By the time the tournament comes round it will be 28 years since Nelson Mandela handed the trophy to Francois Pienaar and I believe that South Africa is hungry to once again host rugby’s greatest occasion. The 1995 Rugby World Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup were magnificent occasions for our nation and for the respective sports and the prospect of being able to repeat those unforgettable occasions is very exciting.”

“Bidding will mean a lot of hard work and I am sure the competition will be fierce but this country has a unique experience to offer the game’s travelling supporters,” the statement concluded.

South Africa will be bidding for the fourth time in a row, and will expect to face competition from a few other rugby playing nations, including Ireland, which made their hosting intentions known in December last year.