VIP's soggy night may kill World Cup dream

Was it the moment when New Zealand began to lose the race for the 2011 Rugby World Cup?

Time will tell, but as the race heats up to host the great event, New Zealand officials must be cursing themselves over an incident that led to one of the Rugby World Cup board's distinguished members storming out of Eden Park.

It happened in July, during the final test between the Lions and the All Blacks.

France's International Rugby Board representative, Jacques Laurans, was given a seat too near the front to avoid the bad weather which hit that evening.

Laurans is alleged to have put up with the heavy rain for 10 minutes and then stood up, exclaiming to those around him, "This is disgraceful". He is said to have walked out and returned to his hotel to watch the rest of the match on TV.

Later that evening, it is further alleged, NZ Rugby Union officials, mindful of the potential damage to their image, telephoned Laurans and offered to send a car to collect him for the after-match function. He refused to leave his room.

One RWC insider said: "The word is that this incident was potentially disastrous for New Zealand in the light of their World Cup campaign.

"People are saying that it exposed New Zealand's lack of planning and attention to detail as it was known that bad weather was likely ... To allow someone like Laurans to get soaked was a PR disaster for New Zealand rugby."

The vote to decide which country wins the right to stage the 2011 event will be taken in Dublin on November 17. As well as New Zealand, South Africa and Japan are also in the running.

The Rugby Union last night declined to comment until it could verify the details of the incident.