Don't delay, union warned

The New Zealand Rugby Union is stuck between a rock and a hard place over the World Cup impasse, says cup organising committee member Rob Fisher.

The union has until 5pm today to sign the sub-host deal with the International Rugby Board or theoretically risk losing the tournament.

Fisher, the IRB vice-chairman warned his NZRFU colleagues not to tempt fate by delaying the signing.

"If the NZRFU hasn't signed it then there is the risk that the IRB will say, 'Sorry New Zealand, we'll now negotiate with Australia and see if they can run the whole of the World Cup'," Fisher said.

There was a chance the deadline could be extended but he said the NZRFU faced difficult concessions over stadium rights if it was to meet the IRB requirements.

IRB officials have spent the last week assessing New Zealand's proposed match venues.

The Rugby World Cup organising panel demands commercial rights at the ground which will clash - at times legally - with existing New Zealand arrangements.

The rights, relating to sponsorship, corporate boxes and media can be sold on by the Rugby World Cup, and were a more important issue to the IRB than the tournament's clash with the NPC, Fisher said.

"Make no secret about it, the Rugby World Cup is either the third or fourth biggest event in the world and to an extent, we're all caught up in some growing pains," said Fisher.

He said there would be 500 to 600 international media for the event.

"It's all about where to they go, bearing in mind that they'll be sitting where a ground member or season ticket-holder would normally expect to be sitting.

"That's really the main issue, not the NPC."

The NZRFU will make money only from World Cup gate-takings, which it estimates will be no more than $5 million.

The Rugby World Cup rakes in the sponsorship and television rights money.

"The NZRFU are predicting larger crowds at their pool matches than Australia are in Australia," Fisher said.

"But the real money for the hosts comes in the knockout stages and it's pretty obvious that in Australia they have much bigger stadiums which they can fill every so often than does New Zealand."

Fisher was confident that the NZRFU and IRB could reach an agreement before the deadline.

* If New Zealand does miss out on hosting the tournament, it will not be because of sponsorship problems at the Wellington Stadium.

The IRB demands clean venues so it can sell the various sponsorship rights.

Stadium general manager David Gray would not comment but it is understood the Cake Tin management allowed for that condition in all contracts involving hospitality and services.

- NZPA