Rugby World Cup 2015 in England will kick off on September the 18th 2015 after the International Rugby Board Council agreed the start date for Rugby's showcase event.

The Rugby World Cup Final will therfore be played on October the 31st 2015 at England's iconic Twickenham stadium in London.

The IRB agreed on the dates at the Annual Meeting of the IRB Council in Dublin on Tuesday, is the result of an exhaustive and collaborative review process which culminated in the recommendation of September 18 by Tier 1 Chairmen and Chief Executives last week as the most suitable start date within the September-October Rugby World Cup window.

A number of dates were considered, with each proposal accompanied by detailed analysis and research.

The SANZAR (South Africa, Australia and New Zealand Rugby Unions wanted the World Cup to start on the 24th of September while England's RFU wanted the kick off on September the 4th but September 18 finally agreed on as a compromise.

RWCL Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: "Throughout this collaborative process we have set out to achieve a Rugby World Cup start date that is good for participating Unions, good for our other major international Rugby events.

ER 2015 Chief Executive Paul Vaughan welcomed the announcement, which will now trigger the process of locking down match venues and preliminary schedule development.

"ER 2015 welcomes confirmation of the start date for Rugby World Cup 2015 in England. Planning and preparation is on track and this milestone announcement further focuses our operational work as we look to deliver the best ever Rugby World Cup."

"Our priority now is to confirm the tournament venues and, as we work through it, our aim is to showcase the Game around the country, inspiring the largest possible audience as we prepare to welcome the global Rugby family and host one of the world's largest sporting events."

In addition a working group comprising Union and IRB representatives has been established to consider potential changes to the Rugby World Cup 2015 Commercial Rules proposed by the IRB to deliver overall optimal value to Unions and the IRB without impacting the ongoing growth of the tournament commercial programme.

Recommendations will be put forward to the Rugby World Cup Limited Board.