Bernard Lapasset. Photo / Steven McNicholl
They own and run the third biggest sporting tournament in the world - so it is little surprise they are treated like royalty.
The International Rugby Board and Rugby World Cup Limited have a crew of about 40 here for the tournament with a number based out of Auckland's SkyCity
Grand, the five-star hotel next to the casino. It is a palatial home away from home with the cost shared between the IRB and the RWCL, the Herald on Sunday understands.
The board has a group booking, with the combined executive and administration staying over the two-month period of the tournament. The deal includes the hotel's Grand Suite, believed to be costing about $6000 a week. It is unknown who is staying there, but the highest ranking member of the board in New Zealand is IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset.
An RWCL spokesman said: "An event-wide relationship with a hotel partner for operations in a main host city is an essential part of the successful hosting of any major international event."
The spokesman described SkyCity as an "exceptional partner over the past four years".
