Editorial: The year of the World Cup is here

'If the success of this year's World Cup in New Zealand depends entirely on the success of the All Blacks then the event is a failure already. Photo / NZ Herald

New Zealand is not quite the rustic, rugby-mad place the Rugby Union slogan 'stadium of four million' seems to suggest it is.

The digits 2011 have been inscribed in New Zealand's consciousness by preparations for a certain sporting event. Now, suddenly, the year is here.

The year will of course bring its share of news that may be much more important than the Rugby World Cup but nothing that might be as gratifying for a long time.

If all goes to plan New Zealand 2011 will be an experience we will forever cherish. The plan, though, is ambitious.

A country of four million was said to be too small to host an event of this scale. It lacked sufficient hotels, frequent transport services and big modern stadiums.

The Rugby Union won the sole hosting right for 2011 with a different pitch. It would play to the country's strength.

New Zealand might be lightly populated but it was large in heart, particularly where rugby was concerned.

Instead of big cities with magnificent stadiums it could offer the only place in the world where rugby remained an unrivalled national interest. New Zealand would be a "stadium of four million".

The plan was ambitious because New Zealand is not quite the rustic, rugby-mad land the slogan suggests. Most of its people live in cities and many of them dislike rugby and all that it represents. Of those who do follow the game, the vast majority are interested only in the fortunes of the All Blacks.

If the success of this year's World Cup in New Zealand depends entirely on the success of the All Blacks then the event is a failure already. The All Blacks should win the Cup, they should win it whenever and wherever it is played. They are consistently the best in the world.

If they win it this year it should be the icing on a cake we have baked and savoured for its own sake. Long before the tournament comes to its knock-out rounds this country could be enjoying the warm rewards of successful hospitality.

Just about all parts of the country will be hosting teams during the pool phase that will run though September. Each of the visiting squads will be welcomed in a different town and some of them will be based in one place for periods of weeks.

There is every prospect that local schools and rugby clubs will take a particular interest in their guest team and follow its fortunes through the tournament. The whole community will be encouraged to adopt it as their "second team".

If New Zealanders respond in the spirit the festival is offered, the experience will be about much more than rugby. It will be a party that leaves a lasting sense of friendship and recognition of ourselves in the people and places our guests have met.

The Lions tour a few years ago left this sort of glow, thanks to the good spirit of visiting supporters and the good time we gave them. With 20 visiting teams coming this year, the possibilities are multiplied.

Inevitably, most attention and expense have been focused on city stadiums and Auckland's "party central". But quieter preparations in 23 towns nationwide are equally important. In the end, they will determine whether 2011 will bring something special: fun, friendships, pride, all the rewards of hospitable effort and a happy new year.