Debbie Jevans during the press conference in Darlington © PA

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Debbie Jevans, the chief executive of England Rugby 2015, has said she is confident of building on the recent successes of the Olympics and Commonwealth Games when it comes to the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Speaking at the Northern Echo Arena in Darlington as the team bases for the tournament were announced, Jevens said she relished the pressure on her team. "If you look back to when we were bidding to stage the Olympic Games, at that point as a country we had to try to persuade international federations to come an hold events in this country.

"We bid, we won it and I think we did raise the bar, and the Commonwealth Games has done the same, raised that bar. I wouldn't say it's pressure, it's a challenge that I enjoy.

"We are determined to be the best that we can be, but certainly there is an expectation out there that maybe wasn't out there years ago as to what this country can deliver when delivering sports events. I relish that bit and that's credit to everyone that's been involved in delivering events over past years."

Referring to the selection of bases for the teams, she said they "allow us to spread the Rugby World Cup throughout the whole of the country … we have the 11 host cities, but with the 41 team bases, we are able to take the competition to other areas, and that in itself allows for a lot of potential local engagement".

Asked about the dispute between the RFU and the Premiership clubs, who have threatened to schedule fixtures during the World Cup, she said she was optimistic an agreement would be found.

"I'm not party to the negotiations between the RFU and the Premiership, and nor should I be. All I can say is that there are good relations between us and the Premiership clubs. I am absolutely confident that there won't be any disruption to what we do. We are working with them on the schedule in 2015."