Rugby: SANZAR wins fight over World Cup funding

NZRU CEO Steve Tew says they lost $13 million in potential revenue in the last world cup year. Photo / Greg Bowker

SANZAR has won its fight with the IRB to get the funding model for the next Rugby World Cup changed.

The NZRU last year threatened to pull the All Blacks out of the next world cup in England in 2015 and highlighted the massive losses they would face by competing.

CEO Steve Tew says they lost $13 million in potential revenue in the last world cup year.

"And that's because we don't have June internationals and we have a shortened Investec rugby championship so if you add all that together it's about a $13 million difference so what's been agreed we think now will fill that hole considerably.''

Tew is delighted.

"We're very pleased. We think the issues that we had identified pre-Rugby World Cup last year and certainly during world cup have been worked on and we've got a solution which we think is fair, and certainly helpful from our point of view.''

Under the new arrangements SANZAR and Argentina have gained $20 million in compensation for lost revenue during the next world cup year and an additional $6 million for each participating country.