Rugby World Cup: Hamilton switched on

Photo / Christine Cornege

A Rugby World Cup stadium has started upgrading its floodlights but they are unlikely to be ready until just a couple of weeks before the tournament starts in September.

The Hamilton City Council was told this year that it would have to foot a $410,000 bill after an investigation into Waikato Stadium's floodlights found they were not up to stringent cup broadcast requirements.

Hamilton City Council events facilities manager Mark Christie said work had started on installing the infrastructure for the lights, which have not been upgraded since the stadium was built at the end of 2001.

A further 62 lamps with higher output and a price tag of $110,000 are to be added and he said these should be up and running by the end of August - less than three weeks before the All Blacks match against Japan on September 16, the stadium's only RWC match to be played under lights.

The lights are unlikely to be tested during the ITM Cup which sees three matches played at Waikato Stadium before the RWC, but Mr Christie was confident there would be no problem. "When they're all ready and set to go we'll try them out but the first game is not until September," he said.

"I think we will be fine."

Rugby New Zealand 2011 spokesman Mike Jaspers said there were no concerns about the timeframes for the work on the lighting upgrades or the testing process and he was confident the council could meet its obligations for the tournament.

"You do not need matches to test lights," said Mr Jaspers.

"A comprehensive testing programme will be undertaken, in conjunction with the host broadcaster, Sky, to ensure lux [brightness] levels meet requirements," he said.

A council report said that staff had mistakenly thought that 1200 lux would meet the requirements for the RWC, but 1500 lux was needed.

The oversight has seen the council's Rugby World Cup budgeted spend of $200,000 for the tournament treble to more than $600,000.