Cost-cut option for Cup drinks

Beer made by Cup sponsor Heineken - one of the Rugby World Cup tournament's sponsors - would be sold in cans. Photo / Herald on Sunday

Rugby World Cup fans at Eden Park will drink beer from cans and plastic bottles instead of plastic cups - to save money.

Questions have been raised about the safety of drinking vessels at the park after disorder during Saturday's rugby league test, when bottles were thrown at players and spectators.

Rugby NZ 2011's general manager of tournament services, Nigel Cass, said yesterday that cans and bottles could be used as missiles and the decision to have them at Cup matches had not been made lightly.

Beer made by Cup sponsor Heineken - one of the Rugby World Cup tournament's sponsors - would be sold in cans, but Amstel Light beer and Brancott Estate wine would probably be sold in small plastic bottles.

"There was a lot of debate on that issue and we wanted to have consistency across the country," Mr Cass said.

"Ten out of the 13 venues use cans. We worked through with the police, representatives of the venues, Alac [the Alcohol Advisory Council] and others to come to the decision that for the World Cup, cans is the best option.

"We looked at the option of wet-pour, which is pouring the beer into plastic cups, but to equip just the three main venues - Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland - with wet-pour technology would cost in the order of $3 million."

Mr Cass, the International Rugby Board and World Cup Minister Murray McCully have asked for reviews from Eden Park management to find out what went wrong at the weekend.

But all believe Cup fans are unlikely to jeopardise their expensive tickets with disorderly behaviour.

Auckland City police operations chief Superintendent Brett England also doubts Cup matches will have trouble.

"Rugby World Cup's just a different kettle of fish. When you've got people paying horrendous amounts of money to get tickets for the Rugby World Cup ... people are not going to want to get legless and not be allowed into the venue."

Auckland Mayor Len Brown said yesterday he would talk to residents, officials and police to see what could be learned from Saturday's league.

"The eyes of the world will be on Auckland in 10 months, and we all want to show the city at its best."

A private debrief on Saturday's match will be held on November 19.

IRB World Cup head Kit McConnell said the RWC was different from a one-off rugby league match because it was a six-week tournament with an atmosphere that would be embraced by the whole country.