Editorial: Time to up game on Cup stadiums

It seems that no matter how hard they try, our friends in the Big Smoke just can't seem to get it right when it comes to stadiums.
It's only been a few years since Aucklanders were split by debate over the best option for the city to host the Rugby World Cup.
After much public anguish and wringing of hands, the decision was made to abandon the idea of a new waterfront stadium and instead upgrade the existing Eden Park facility, at the relatively cheap cost of $240 million.
But now, with just over two months to go until kick-off, concerns have been raised that the revamped Eden Park is less a garden of Eden, and more a damp, windy concrete jungle.
This year's Super Rugby games have left spectators exposed to bad weather, including wintry gusts which pushed rain on to the popular South and East stands.
Weather experts have moved to ease concerns by explaining their expectation that the prevailing winds in spring will come from a different direction, which will hopefully lead to Eden Park being more protected.
But is it really good enough that the sporting experience of thousands of tourists and locals alike, most of whom will have paid significant money to be part of this event, should be hanging on the mood of this country's typically tempestuous weather?
As much as it will pain many in regional New Zealand to admit it, for many of the people who visit this country for the Rugby World Cup, their experience will be largely defined by their time in the big centres and at the big games - the sort of games Auckland will be hosting as the tournament comes down to the business end.
Tourists who have bought tickets for those big games are arguably also the ones with the financial means to make return trips after the Rugby World Cup, as well as recommend New Zealand as a tourist destination to others, all positive spin-offs that our recession-battling economy desperately needs.
This week, Eden Park Trust chief David Kennedy said no international stadium was completely weatherproof, and Eden Park had as much protection as its budget allowed.
Fiscal prudence is wise. But all the great past Rugby World Cups featured modern, attractive stadiums as their centrepiece as each tournament reached its apex.
At the 2007 event, the final was held in the impressive Stade de France, while four years earlier, the final was played in Sydney at what is now known as Stadium Australia, originally built for the 2000 Olympics.
It emphasises the need for successful global sporting events to have a high-quality stadium at their heart, and it's difficult to escape the suspicion that the organisers of the 2011 Rugby World Cup may have dropped the ball on this one.
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