Low-key kickoff to union's World Cup roadshow

Chris Moller

New Zealand's hierarchy have begun their 2011 World Cup roadshow, confident none of the horrors of the 2003 sub-hosting debacle will return to haunt them.

New Zealand Rugby Union president Jock Hobbs and chief executive Chris Moller flew to Australia yesterday to court the first potential backer in phase one of a two-week, 10-country world trip.

The $3.5 million bid for the 2011 hosting rights will end at International Rugby Board headquarters in Dublin on November 17 when its 24 delegates decide between New Zealand, South Africa and Japan in a secret ballot.

Five months to the day since their bid was launched, it was hardly fireworks and fanfare at NZRFU headquarters yesterday as Hobbs and Moller played it coy in a low-key summary of their bid.

Moller said "very significant" progress had been made in two key areas - boosting Eden Park's capacity to 60,000 and presenting "clean" stadiums free of advertising and corporate box holders.

"It was a feature of 2003, and six years out from the tournament we are absolutely confident we'll be able to deliver clean stadia," Moller said.

Auckland's Eden Park and Wellington's Westpac Stadium were the only grounds not entirely clean, with single digit numbers of occupied corporate boxes remaining.

Clean stadia, or lack of them, scuppered the NZRFU's chances of sub-hosting the 2003 tournament with Australia.

Of having a stadium capable of hosting a final, Moller said: "We will also be in a position to indicate to the IRB, that we are very confident that both the building of a new South Stand and the financing of it, will be achievable."

A 60,000-capacity Eden Park expansion would proceed only if New Zealand won the hosting rights.

Moller said any concerns about New Zealand's size and infrastructure for hosting a major event were addressed by the success of this year's Lions tour.

"We proved our capability, both operationally and in terms of infrastructure ... even though it is a significant expansion on the Lions, we are confident we will be in good shape."

Moller and Hobbs will address the Australian Rugby Union today before visiting Hong Kong, Italy, Wales, Scotland, England, Ireland, France, Canada and Argentina.

Their bid will be bookended by video messages from former All Blacks captain Sir Wilson Whineray and Prime Minister Helen Clark, whose presence in Dublin on November 17 still isn't confirmed.

The Government and the NZRFU have provided half each of the $3.5 million cost of the bid.

Other famous faces appearing in the 47-page bid document include All Blacks legends Colin Meads and Sir Brian Lochore; 1987 World Cup-winning captain David Kirk, actor Sam Neill and Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist Sarah Ulmer.

South Africa have enlisted the support of former president and international icon Nelson Mandela, while former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori was chosen to be the president of the Japan Rugby Football Union, apparently in the hope of boosting that country's hopes of staging the World Cup.

- NZPA