We play, you pay, rugby's man tells public

The Rugby World Cup should be played at a redeveloped Eden Park paid for Mainly by taxpayers and ratepayers, says Jock Hobbs, the rugby boss in charge of organising the 2011 tournament.

Mr Hobbs yesterday poured cold water on a stadium on the Auckland waterfront, saying the New Zealand Rugby Union and the body set up to organise the tournament, Rugby New Zealand 2011, favoured Eden Park.

"I don't know if there is a real option outside Eden Park. We support Eden Park. It is the only live option," said Mr Hobbs, speaking as chairman of the organising committee.

Then as Rugby Union chairman, Mr Hobbs said the union did a feasibility study at the time of bidding for the cup last year which concluded that Eden Park was the best option.

He was speaking from Edmonton in Canada after presenting a masterplan, including a budget, for the event to the International Rugby Board. No concerns were expressed at the meeting about planning for Eden Park, he said.

Mr Hobbs' comments are a rebuff to Rugby World Cup Minister Trevor Mallard, who on Tuesday sprang the surprise proposal for a new stadium on the waterfront.

The public, who do not want a bar of funding the Eden Park upgrade, have given strong backing to a waterfront stadium.

A quantity surveyor with one of Auckland's biggest firms, who did not want to be named, yesterday said the cost of building a 60,000-seat waterfront stadium was probably not far off the $350 million estimate quoted to the Herald.

The Cabinet will decide next month what option to pursue after receiving a report evaluating the two options.

Mr Hobbs said he respected the Government's own review "so they can be absolutely certain that Eden Park is the right option".

Asked if the Rugby Union would increase a $10 million commitment to upgrade Eden Park, Mr Hobbs said no.

The union was party to the $150 million tournament fee to the IRB and was budgeting for a $30 million loss from the event. The union would pay a third and the Government two-thirds of any losses under a joint-venture agreement, he said.

Mr Hobbs said the Eden Park Trust Board, in conjunction with PricewaterhouseCoopers, was developing a funding strategy for next month's meeting of Rugby NZ 2011.

"There will need to be a considerable contribution from local and central government," he said.

Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard told the Herald this month that a "significant part" of the council's contribution would be spent on things such as improving roads and building a pedestrian bridge from Kingsland to the stadium.

Council chief executive David Rankin said the council had still to see the business plan for Eden Park and had not received a funding request.

The council has received 470 submissions on the resource consent application to redevelop Eden Park, running about two-to-one in favour. A panel of independent commissioners will hear the submissions this year.