Rugby World Cup: Stand up, stadium of four million, and take a bow

Fans in provincial cities such as Palmerston North were very demonstrative in backing the minor teams. Photo / Mark Mitchell

A British journalist says the next World Cup host, England, has much to live up to

The world was promised that New Zealand would provide a "stadium of four million" for the Rugby World Cup and almost everywhere visitors went in this beautiful country, the reality matched the hype.

From the oyster-rich shores of Invercargill over to the central hub of Auckland, All Black flags fluttered on flagpoles, smirking ex-All Blacks joshed on radio and television and shop folk and doctors, waiters and prime ministers discussed the ruck and the maul.

In Palmerston North, it seemed only natural for Georgia to play Romania in front of fans with yellow buckets on their heads and middle-aged Kiwi ladies wearing red spangly wigs and screaming "Go Georgia".

England, the next hosts in 2015, has a lot to live up to. As a nation dominated by football, it is unlikely to bill itself as a rugby stadium of 50 million.

As for this year's cup, Australia suffered that fate against Ireland and lost a pool match that gave a Heimlich hump to what was panning out as a predictable, drawn-out event.

The romanticism of following the "minnows" as they drown in pools dominated by traditional teams has begun to weary into accusations of an old pals' act holding the game back.

The double votes available to the home unions on the International Rugby Board play awkwardly against whole areas of the planet lumped together with just one raised hand.

The Georgians looked the likeliest to upset the order soon but we were left again with a quarter-final line-up of eight teams you could have picked without the fuss of 48 matches, the All Blacks' entirely expected march to the final and the $38 million loss to the New Zealand Government and organisers.

But to have done without all that would have been to miss out on the simple pleasure of rugby people gathering for a seven-week party.

If some of England's players misunderstood the exact ratio of fun to hard work expected of them, it should not be forgotten there were those such as Simon Shaw and Lee Mears who had only the "couple of beers" prescribed by Martin Johnson and made friends everywhere. Change is afoot for the red rose.

Wales lost three matches but won friends; Ireland had their day against the Wallabies; Scotland must reflect on how much their lofty place in the scheme of things is based on history.

As Johnson said, the All Blacks' league-sevens-union hybrid style is easy to copy but difficult to do as well as them. It does not look so beautiful to some.

Overall, though, in this land the South Africa coach Peter de Villiers described as having "five seasons in one day", we were happy to charge our final glass of pinot noir and say, "Cheers New Zealand, you smashed 'em, bro."

- INDEPENDENT