RWC2015: Bill Beaumont's hopes and aims as the big kick-off looms

How much time are you going to get to enjoy the tournament?

I cannot wait for it to start now: Rugby is my passion – there’s no hardship at all in watching the best players in the world. The game is in my DNA. I will be watching matches all over the country and am looking forward to it hugely.

How different is the game from when you played?

Completely different even down to the number of matches you play.

When I was in the England team in the Five Nations and if you were lucky you toured every other June. Nowadays it’s Six Nations, regular summer tours and Autumn Internationals.

And then there’s the Lions as well. It’s hectic.

There’s a lot of talk about a World Cup “legacy” – what have the RFU done to ensure RWC2015 is the beginning, not the end?

Rugby is enjoying its exposure now. We must make sure we capture the excitement and maintain it.

The RFU have given out £10m so that 500 clubs can improve facilities.

I recently went to three different clubs in Manchester, places that had had a grant which enabled them to rebuild clubhouses.

This now means more rugby clubs are decent places to go, hugely improved .

We have also upped the levels of extra coaches, referees and volunteers at grassroots levels and 400 non-playing secondary schools have now taken up the sport – by the World Cup in Japan, this will be up to 750.

On top of that there are 1,100 young ambassadors and another 5,000 volunteers.

There are now Touch Rugby festivals, more Tag tournaments and beach rugby.

We have done enough to get a legacy in place now we just need the team to help create that legacy.

What is the minimum you expect from England?

I expect us to win it - but I am not going to say that I expect England to at least reach the final or the semi-finals.

The first game will be the most crucial – it will set England on their way.

It is the hardest pool by far and England are capable of playing some very good rugby – but Fiji have some very big, skilful lads of their own and having played against three times myself, I know how hard they can hit.

Four years ago New Zealand were the outright favourites but if you look at this year so many teams are well matched.

Look at results between th top teams and they are very close so getting momentum is key. The team that can get going as quickly as possible and maintain that will be the ones that wll win the World Cup.

There will be no easy matches.

How important is the squad ethos?

It is now very much a 31-man game and England will not be fielding teams with as many caps as Australia and Wales.

Stuart Lancaster knows who the right players for the job are and the fact there is such strong competition for places will hopefully bring the best out of all of them.

Who will be the player of the tournament?

Not one who is playing against England I hope.

New Zealand will rely on the brilliance of Dan Carter, Sonny Bill Williams and Richie McCaw and I expect Kieran Read –another world class player – to shine.

Australia have the likes of and Israel Folau while the Pacific islanders are all capable or making a huge impression.

Bill Beaumont is currently a member of the IRB and Chairman of the RFU.