New Zealand will stage the next tournament in 2011 and under normal circumstances it would then be the turn of a northern hemisphere nation to hold the event, with England already leading the chase for 2015.

However, a change in International Rugby Board policy could see South Africa handed the tournament for the first time since 1995.

And Stones has confirmed that SA Rugby had sent a letter to the IRB to ask for clarification on the tender process.

"New Zealand may have the World Cup in 2011, but it isn't ideal for the television audience, and the IRB derives much of its development income from broadcast money," Stones told the Sondag newspaper.

"The idea is to have either every two out of three or three out of four World Cups in these time zones to maximise the incoming revenue.

"We are perfectly positioned in those time zones and that is why we sent a letter to the IRB enquiring about the tendering process for 2015.

"We are at the beginning stages, so there is a lot of work to be done before we decide if we will put in a bid."

Argentina and Japan are also expected to table bids for the 2015 tournament.