Thursday 16 November 2017 12:05, UK
Stuart Barnes says it was "politics and finance" that won France the hosting rights for the 2023 World Cup.
World Rugby announced on Wednesday that France would host the 2023 showpiece despite having hosted the tournament as recently as 2007.
South Africa were recommended as the preferred candidate by the sport's governing body two weeks ago, but France beat the 1995 hosts and Ireland in two rounds of voting in London.
Speaking on The Offload after the announcement, Stuart Barnes slammed the amount of resources wasted on the process.
"It was politics and it was finance," said Barnes of France's win. "It's not just South Africa who spent the rand - Ireland spent the money, France spent the money.
"But also, which I don't think anyone has talked about, is the amount of time and money that World Rugby spent in South Africa, in France and Ireland.
"To me, there is an inherent problem from the start. The moment they decided they were going to come up with a process that was going to take years, they meant for every member of the council basically to say it's a fait accompli.
"What they have to do, is that if you're going to have this process, you have to have a degree of autocracy.
"In the end I have to say, it was utterly naive this process, and a complete waste of money."
Former Springbok Jean de Villiers, who was in London for the announcement, said he did not doubt France's ability to put on a good show, but said the lobbying that took place between World Rugby's recommendation and the voting has too much influence on the overall process.
"The disappointment is real for us," said De Villiers. "We know that France will host a fantastic tournament, but, especially after the announcement two weeks ago by the recommendation committee, then being beaten quite easily at the end today in terms of the voting, it was bitterly disappointing for us.
"Something that really did stand out for me after listening to the comments made by all unions, it was said that so much work has gone in over the last two weeks.
"Now, the presentation for the bid was done a while ago, and then the recommendation came out, so you've got to ask yourself 'what was the work done in the last two weeks?'
"Certainly the lobbying that went on must have obviously changed the voting, and I suppose the review of this whole process will be one that World Rugby will look at and say 'is it necessary to have the process the same in four years' time?'"
In a statement on Springbok Rugby's Twitter account following the announcement, SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux said: "World Rugby ran exhaustive, transparent process for 15 months to identify the best host nation, only for the process to go entirely opaque for past two weeks. The view of the experts and World Rugby's leadership was overturned by @WorldRugby Council members."
Asked if the initial bidding was relevant after the U-turn away from South Africa, De Villiers questioned the importance of a recommendation from World Rugby over gaining votes.
"Well it didn't mean anything to be honest, so you've got to ask yourself; do you spend millions of rands - or pounds or whatever - in putting in a great presentation, a great bid, but then only to really do the hard work and spending post that?
"It seems like that's what gets you the vote at the end of the day, which is a sad thing in a way, because you do want it to be transparent and you want everyone to stand a fair chance."
Click here to listen to the full podcast of Wednesday's Offload
