Perth emerges as surprise option to host 2027 Rugby World Cup final
Perth could be the shock location for the final of the 2027 Rugby World Cup, should Australia’s bid be successful.
Rugby Australia formally launched its World Cup bid in Sydney on Thursday morning but there is no guarantee the harbour city will host the final of one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
World Rugby rules stipulate that a Rugby World Cup final must be held at a stadium with 60,000 or more seats, which rules out the 52,000-capacity Suncorp Stadium. Australia’s bid team are looking at Optus Stadium in Perth, Stadium Australia in Sydney and the MCG - the only three arenas in the country that fit World Rugby’s criteria.
RA has not yet decided on a location and is consulting with state governments, which are all keen to host the match. Australia will put forward a recommendation in coming months but, if the bid is successful, ultimately it is World Rugby that will decide where the match will take place.
World Rugby won’t announce the winning host until May 2022, but by the end of the month will know how many countries have formally expressed interest, with Australia the only confirmed bidder at this stage. The USA could put in a bid for 2027 but have also informally expressed interest in hosting the 2031 tournament.
Officials are seriously weighing up Perth as an option. The Wallabies beat the All Blacks 47-26 at a sold-out Optus Stadium in 2019 and, while Stadium Australia (83,500) and the MCG (100,000) are bigger, RA believes Perth provides a better time zone for important UK and France television audiences.
The 2003 World Cup final was held in Sydney at 8pm (AEDT), which was mid-morning in the northern hemisphere.
Former Wallabies captain and executive director of the World Cup bid Phil Kearns confirmed Perth was in the running to host the final.
“We can encourage and have views but, if you look at Perth, Perth has an incredible stadium and it’s a great time zone – a much better time zone – for France and the UK, where a huge TV audience is,” Kearns told the Herald.
“The MCG holds more people than what Sydney does. If you multiply that out by the ticket price of a final, that’s a substantial piece of income.
“Then if you look at Sydney, Sydney and Brisbane are the home of rugby. Sydney has got an incredible stadium, we’ve done it before and it’s a great venue. There’s three cities with three different stories about why the World Cup final should be there. That’s a really tough one.”
According to Kearns, three state governments “all want the final”. It is likely the two states that miss out on the final will host semis. Brisbane would have to settle for a quarter-final.
RA chairman Hamish McLennan said: “We’re currently having discussions with all those states ... but it’s too early to say.”
More than a dozen venues were used for the 2003 World Cup in Australia, but World Rugby has cut that number down for financial reasons. Between eight and 10 will be used in 2027.
No venues are confirmed at this stage, but Sydney will be hoping Stadium Australia, the new Sydney Football Stadium and Bankwest Stadium are on the list of venues.
“We’ve given a list of 16 to World Rugby and scoped them out,” Kearns said. “Over the next six or eight months will be when we come together more closely on what those 10 will be.”
It was a who’s who of Australian rugby on Thursday morning at the Museum of Contemporary Art, with Wallabies coach Dave Rennie, chief executive Andy Marinos, World Cup-winning captain John Eales and former Wallaby great Gary Ella all on deck to throw their support behind the bid.
“We’re not thinking about missing out,” McLennan said. “We’re dedicated on winning. We’ve proven we can host these major events. In a pandemic world, we do it better than any other country.
“We’re not being complacent. What you’ve seen today is a highly professional well-organised bid process.”
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-u...20-p57tmd.html
