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Auckland to host 2011 final: report
August 23, 2007 - 1:19PM
Wellington and Christchurch are likely to miss out at the business end of the 2011 World Cup with Auckland's Eden Park tipped to host the final, semi-finals and play-off for third.
However, the All Blacks are expected to play a pool game in all three of the major test venue cities and could play another game elsewhere if the tournament remains a 20-team competition.
The four quarter-finals are also likely to be spread across the major test venues, while the pool games will be played throughout New Zealand.
But Rugby New Zealand 2011 Ltd chief executive Martin Snedden confirmed yesterday it made financial and logistical sense for the final week of the World Cup to be in Auckland.
The last four games are the big money earners and Wellington's Westpac Stadium and Christchurch's AMI Stadium won't hold enough people.
Hosting the final four matches in one city is consistent with the 2003 World Cup in Australia (Sydney) and this year's tournament in France (Paris).
Westpac Stadium's capacity is about 40,000 for tests, while AMI Stadium will hold between 41,000 and 45,000 after its upgrade.
That's up to 20,000 fewer spectators than Eden Park, which will hold about 62,000 after its $NZ190 million refurbishment.
The host union's only source of revenue is from ticket sales and Snedden said the tournament should produce about $NZ280 million ($A243 million) in ticket sales which would still result in a $NZ30 million loss.
At an average of $NZ500 a ticket - which is what tickets to the final four matches in France in October will cost - the New Zealand Rugby Union would miss out on between $NZ7.5 and $NZ10 million in ticket sales if a semi-final was held in Wellington or Christchurch.
There were also good logistical reasons for having all four games in Auckland, Snedden said, as the semifinals will be played on a Saturday and Sunday, the third-place playoff the following Friday and the final the next day.
About 30,000 are expected to attend both semifinals and moving them between Wellington or Christchurch and Auckland in time for the Sunday semifinal would be difficult.
Most of those 30,000 will be foreigners so having the semifinals at the smaller stadiums would also reduce the number of tickets available to New Zealanders, Snedden said.
Canterbury Rugby Union chief executive Hamish Riach conceded it made sense for both the semifinals to be held in Auckland.
"We are aware it's a possibility that will be the case. It's not a huge surprise to us but we want to take as big a part in the World Cup as possible."
Snedden was in Wellington yesterday for the third of four regional meetings held to brief unions and local bodies on where they should pitch themselves as potential hosts of games and teams.
He held briefings in Dunedin and Christchurch last week and will be in Auckland tomorrow for the final session.
The International Rugby Board will announce in late October whether the 2011 tournament will feature 16 or 20 teams. That will influence the number of venues to be used, while the allocation and timing of games won't be finalised by RNZ 2011 till about midway through next year.
If, as seems likely, the tournament is trimmed to 16 teams it will reduce the tournament's expenses (which are borne by the NZRU) as it costs $NZ125,000 per week to host a team.
However, it might also mean fewer revenue-producing games, though Snedden said a 40-game tournament was still possible with only 16 teams.
Meanwhile, Snedden said the redevelopment of Eden Park was "on track" with the design agreed to and resource consent objections withdrawn.
Work was expected to begin next year and finish during 2010, in time for rugby and cricket matches to be held at the stadium before the World Cup.
The Dominion Post
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