Updated 13.30

The Irish bid for the Rugby World Cup has been unsuccessful, with France selected to host the 2023 tournament.

South Africa had previously received the recommendation to host the tournament, based on the results of a scoring system employed.

However, it was confirmed today that France will host the games.

In a first round of voting by the World Rugby Council, France received 18 votes - compared to South Africa’s 13 and Ireland’s eight.

The second and final round of voting saw France pick up 24 votes to South Africa's 15.

Explaining the decision, World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said: “We had three outstanding host candidates, who raised the bar and overwhelmingly demonstrated that they were all capable of hosting an exceptional Rugby World Cup. There was very little to choose between the candidates and this was reflected in the independently-audited evaluation report.

“I would like to pay tribute to Ireland and South Africa for their dedication throughout a rigorous, and transparent process and hope that they will bid again."

He added that France delivered a "very strong and comprehensive bid" which "clearly resonated" with the organisation's council. 

Congratulations to France who have been awarded Rugby World Cup 2023 following World Rugby Council's vote #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/JJ35aDVZVX

— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) November 15, 2017