The challenge of ensuring there are full stadiums at the next Rugby World Cup must be taken up by the 12 host cities if Japan 2019 is to rival the fiscal success of last year's tournament in England, according to World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont.
In an interview with Kyodo News during last week's World Forum on Sport and Culture, Beaumont said the biggest challenge for Japan will be "getting people to buy the tickets and to go to the stadiums" in the first World Cup to be held outside a Tier 1 nation.
RWC 2015 was the most commercially successful World Cup ever, with an average of 98 percent of tickets sold across all venues. On the pitch, Japan had its most successful World Cup ever, winning three group games under current England coach Eddie Jones — becoming the only team in tournament history to do so without qualifying for the quarterfinals.
Yet, in the year since on the home front, attendance in the Top League has dropped despite the Brave Blossom-mania that stemmed from England 2015 and spiked rugby's popularity.
Little by little, with Japan unable to bring on new coach Jamie Joseph until last month and the Sunwolves floundering in their first Super Rugby season, the sport's exposure in the Japanese sporting market has begun to dwindle once again.
Beaumont, however, is not about to impose anything on Japan at this stage of the buildup to RWC 2019, believing the hosts will figure things out in time — especially with the country's sound financial background and experience of hosting major international events, like the summer and winter Olympics and the FIFA World Cup.
"We don't come in with a stick and say you have to do it this way," said Beaumont, who took over from long-time steward Bernard Lapasset in July. "Some areas in a cosmopolitan city like Tokyo, there will be a lot of people who understand rugby and there might be other areas you go to which won't.
"It's about trying to engage the local population, the local sports bodies, the local schools, whatever the professional team is in that area. We need to try to work with them and get people to buy the tickets.
"We're not coming to a Tier 2 nation, commercially. We're coming to a hugely successful, vibrant economic nation."
The former British Lions captain said every World Cup has its challenges, be it New Zealand in 2011 or Japan in 2019. Beaumont said the United States or Argentina, also rising rugby nations like Japan, could be future World Cup destinations as the game continues to expand.
"As an organizer, you go to New Zealand and the challenges are that it's not great for a European broadcaster because of the time differences; the stadia they have are smaller; and then you have the tragedy of the earthquake in Christchurch," he said.
"But you have to go into areas and countries to develop the game, and reward somebody like New Zealand, who have been the No. 1 for many, many years. But we should also be looking towards America, to Argentina without ignoring the traditional markets.
"I think for too long we have stuck with the traditional countries that we go to, and it's incumbent on us to spread the (game). In a way, it's a reward to Japan for all their contributions to rugby not only at the last World Cup, but throughout the years.
"We look at it as being a small risk coming here."
Rugby World Cup chief Alan Gilpin said the key to filling the stands in 2019 will hinge on reaching out to and bringing in a demographic from outside the regular fan base.
"It's not just about rugby. This is a global event," Gilpin said. "Not everyone who went to watch in Newcastle (in England) was a rugby fan. The people in the host cities are incredibly proud of where they live and if we can get the message across they will be proud hosts of a global event.
"If you live in Sapporo, if you live in Kumamoto, you're on the world stage now so it's different to business as usual. But we're working hard already with Japan Rugby 2019 and the (Japan Rugby Football) Union, and Asian Rugby, to make sure the plans to market the tournament . . . really do bring Rugby World Cup to life."