Robbie Deans. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Robbie Deans' task of reviving Wallabies rugby has been made harder with confirmation yesterday of an historic Bledisloe Cup test in Hong Kong on November 1.
The New Zealand and Australian rugby unions agreed to extend the Bledisloe to four matches in 2008 to avoid an "exhibition match"
feel in Hong Kong.
Deans, who takes up his new post in June, will now need to conjure three wins over Graham Henry's All Blacks to regain the trophy.
"Robbie loves a challenge. The Deans factor, by then I hope, sees the Wallabies really cracking," ARU chief executive John O'Neill said yesterday. "We wanted the game to have integrity and not just be seen as an exhibition game."
The other Bledisloe Cup tests are on July 26 in Sydney, August 2 in Auckland and September 13 in Brisbane.
A Hong Kong match was first mooted by the hosts midway through last year, and will be the first Bledisloe test at a neutral venue since competition for the cup started in 1931.
O'Neill said it was stage one of what is hoped to be regular forays into Asia by Australia and New Zealand in coming years.
He planned to meet Japan officials today with a view to strengthening their ties, including a potential Bledisloe Cup test in Tokyo and eventually a Japanese team in the Super rugby competition.
For the November test, the ARU, NZRU and Hong Kong Rugby Union agreed on a revenue sharing arrangement, with Australia and New Zealand getting an equal share and the hosts a smaller piece of the pie.
O'Neill and his NZRU counterpart Steve Tew wouldn't put a figure on the potential profit, but O'Neill rubbished speculative figures of between A$7 million ($8.25 million) and A$10 million each.
Profit will be solely from gate takings, corporate packages and potential one-off sponsorships. The capacity at Hong Kong Stadium is about 40,000 and O'Neill said the most expensive tickets would be sold for just over HK$1000 ($160).
- NZPA
