South Africa will bid to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup

South Africa will bid to host the 2023 World Cup having previously made three unsuccessful attempts, the country's rugby union (SARU) have confirmed.

SARU must now receive approval from the country's national Olympic Committee and government, but this is expected to be a formality with the bid process due to open in May.

Ireland have already announced their intention to bid but South Africa are expected to join the mix for a fourth successive process.

"We definitely expect to be bidding to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup - as we have for the past three tournaments," SARU CEO Jurie Roux said in a statement.

"By the time the tournament comes round it will be 28 years since Nelson Mandela handed the trophy to Francois Pienaar and I believe that South Africa is hungry to once again host rugby's greatest occasion.

"The 1995 Rugby World Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup were magnificent occasions for our nation and for the respective sports and the prospect of being able to repeat those unforgettable occasions is very exciting."

The winning bid will be announced in May 2017.

If South Africa does win the right to stage the tournament, there will be a break in the pattern of hosts since the event was first played in Australia and New Zealand in 1987.

So far the competition has alternated between a European host and a country from outside the continent, but with the 2019 World Cup taking place in Japan, a successful bid from the SARU would see consecutive tournaments being staged away from Europe for the first time.