English rugby chiefs have unveiled their plans to stage the 2007 World Cup - and Southampton's St Mary's stadium plays a major part in them.

The Rugby Football Union's "preferred option" is for a 16-team World Cup, plus a 32-team Rugby World Nations Cup running in parallel.

But they have also presented two more proposals to the International Rugby Board for consideration.

The "traditional option" would see a continuation of the current 20-team World Cup format, while a "hybrid option" would combine bits of both other proposals.

But the English preferred option will see a 16-team main tournament and a 32-team inaugural Rugby World Nations Cup running parallel with each other.

Both competitions will provide 100 matches, involving 48 nations and last for 45 days during June and July, 2007.

In addition, the RFU World Cup plan includes a new Super 8 stage to be introduced after the first round pool matches.

Such a format would mean the eventual world champions having played five of the globe's top eight sides before lifting the trophy.

The Rugby World Nations Cup would effectively do away with a current exhaustive qualifying programme, and it would give many of the sport's lesser countries a chance to rub shoulders with the elite.

The 2007 World Cup would be staged at 16 venues throughout England.

These include a number of front-line football grounds, including St Mary's, Old Trafford, St James' Park, Villa Park, Stoke's Brittania Stadium and Huddersfield's McAlpine Stadium.

The City of Manchester Stadium, showpiece venue for this year's Commonwealth Games also figures, together with established club rugby locations such as Leicester's Welford Road, Gloucester's Kingsholm and Northampton's impressively redeveloped Franklin's Gardens.

The Rugby World Nations Cup would be taken to 54 venues, ranging from Redruth in Cornwall, to Tynedale in the north east, ensuring the biggest possible geographical spread.

"Hosting the World Cup would be huge for the game in this part of the world," said England head coach Woodward.

"England have got the financial clout, organisation and capability of hosting a World Cup, and the bid is an exciting one."

Woodward also backed the Super 8 proposal, adding: "It certainly makes the tournament more exciting. There will be more quality games, and whoever wins it, will certainly deserve to win it."

RFU chief executive Francis Bacon said: "Our aim is to be sole hosts of the event.

"A solo approach clarifies responsibility, accountability and ensures smoother management and logistics, as South Africa proved so effectively in 1995.

"We will also ask Scotland, Ireland and Wales to nominate a representative on the board of the RFU tournament operating company. In return, a financial participation package will be discussed with them to assist in the development of the game in Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

"Ultimately, however, the success of the event is about income generation for the developing world of rugby.

"We aim to deliver revenues far in excess of any previous RWC tournament. This enhanced level of income will help to fund the IRB's global development programme which sustains and nourishes the growth of our game.

"We believe that we have tabled a strong bid," Baron added.

"Through excellent forward planning, we aim to make Rugby World Cup 2007 the most widely experienced, viewed, read about and listened to rugby event ever and we will put in place a creative marketing programme to ensure the best commercial return for our partners.

"By playing games at 16 top-flight stadia around the country, we are able to give people in England the best possible chance of seeing world-class rugby in superb facilities, all of which underline the excellent infrastructure we have at our disposal."

Some £5m will be made available for marketing the tournament at home and abroad.

Also part of the proposal, if England are successful and it takes place in the summer of 2007, would see the Six Nations and the Tri-nations played simultaneously in March/April, while European competitions could be completed prior to the release of international players to Six Nations and World Cup squads.

"It is time to take the Rugby World Cup to the next stage, and I believe we can deliver an event that will increase awareness and participation in the game," said RFU management board chairman Graeme Cattermole.