The Rugby World Cup would bring an economic windfall of €800 million to the island of Ireland. That is the figure estimated by consultants Deloitte who have been working with the IRFU and the bid team to provide the strongest possible final document.
It is a figure which works well in terms of political cover for underwriting the cost of the bid guarantee required by World Rugby that is a figure of €120 million.
The idea of risk capital is one that Government has not previously been a major supporter of but the numbers all add up in relation to this bid and the coming together of so many strands of sport, business and state make it look like a prudent use of taxpayer funds.
A major hurdle to overcome was the timeframe of bidding which exists beyond the horizon of ‘normal’ politics but that has been successfully boxed off with Government and opposition both sides of the border fully, and financially committed to the bid.
Read more about the regional spread of the tournament
Deloitte estimate the tournament will bring in 450,000 overseas visitors for the tournament.
To put that in context it is only six percent of the total of 8 million visitors expected to visit Ireland in 2016 but that is only half the story.
The value of longer term stays from fans travelling with their teams and the spread of their money across a wider geographic footprint make them a very valuable cohort.
Dividing the economic impact by the number of visitors gives a figure per head of just over €1,777 which might even be a touch on the conservative side.
That is the argument of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce who have estimated themselves that the value is likely to be closer to €2 billion.
Philip Browne, CEO of the IRFU was at pains to stress yesterday that there was unlikely to be much of a financial surplus from the tournament though the RFU in England did secure a profit of €21 million from the 2015 tournament, based on ticket sales of 2.4 million across the 48 matches.
Read more about the EY report into the success of Rugby World Cup 2015.
The success of the tournament will be based on those who will benefit most working closely with this who can enable that success to become real.
It involves the GAA, Dublin City Council and all the other local authorities, Fáilte Ireland and all the other state agencies, as well as sponsors, media, transport companies, hotels, restaurants and supporters pulling together to make this work.
The willingness is clearly there, the rewards can be seen in sharp focus.
Winning the bid will elevate Ireland to a different status as a country that can deliver big as well as dream big. It has to be given the best possible shot of success.
