Australians even more confident over World Cup

LONDON - Next year's World Cup was only some subtle fine-tuning away from being held solely in Australia after a productive meeting between Australian officials and tournament bosses yesterday.

The board of Rugby World Cup Ltd said more negotiations were needed before it could recommend to the International Rugby Board that Australia host the cup alone, but was confident the talks would be completed before the deadline, next Friday.

It would then have to wait for formal approval by the IRB next month.

"There's just a bit of finessing to do with commercially sensitive issues, it's nothing major," Australian Rugby Union chief John O'Neill said after the meeting in Newport.

"I came away feeling very positive about the reaction we received from the directors.

"It's not done and dusted, but it's important to note we are in an exclusive negotiating period, RWCL aren't considering any other proposals.

On March 8, the ARU was given 21 days to present a proposal to host the tournament alone after New Zealand lost its sub-host status when it could not provide "clean" stadiums.

The terms of hosting the tournament stipulate that all stadiums be free of advertising, caterers and corporate box holders to enable the IRB to sell the rights.

And though NZRFU chief executive David Rutherford said yesterday that New Zealand's involvement was "not a lost cause," he admitted the NZRFU and RWCL were still at loggerheads.

"We can deliver what we believe is enough to meet all the VIP and sponsorship requirements, but there is the RWCL requirement for more than that and it would appear we can't do that."

He said it was frustrating the RWCL had refused for three weeks to talk to the NZRFU, but there was no point sending a delegate to Newport.

"If you door-stop people you're only likely to inflame a difficult situation ... we can't do that.

"As far as dealing with the RWCL, they're adamant they can't talk to us."

The only way New Zealand can get back in the picture is if the RWCL or the IRB reject Australia's proposal and throw the negotiations open again. But what the RWCL recommends to the IRB council next month is virtually guaranteed of receiving a rubber stamp.

O'Neill, the ARU's World Cup general manager Matt Carroll, and lawyer Peter Friend presented Australia's proposal to the RWCL board, which was minus its New Zealand vice-chairman Rob Fisher.

Though Fisher was in Newport for the meeting, he was not in the room when the Australian party was invited in to present its bid.

He was the only member of the board not to sign a press release last week which supported chairman Vernon Pugh, who had been accused in New Zealand of acting without consulting his committee.

Fisher even tried to prevent the release from being issued, angering the other board members, Rian Oberholzer from South Africa, England's Malcolm Phillips and Frenchman Jacques Laurans.

The ARU's new proposal was essentially a revised draw taking in all 48 matches, and an amended budget. O'Neill was confident Australia could stage a successful tournament on its own.

"We are one of the few countries in the world that can do it, we have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to facilities."

- NZPA