Lions tour seen as key to World Cup bid

1.00pm

New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) chief executive Chris Moller is eyeing next year's Lions tour as the acid test of their bid to host the 2011 World Cup.

Moller last week registered the NZRU's interest with the International Rugby Board (IRB) in hosting the tournament, with the deadline for official bids in May next year.

New Zealand's small population and lack of any stadium seating more than 45,000 are the big drawbacks for the NZRU bid to host the tournament for the first time since 1987.

Moller said the Lions tour in June and July, with thousands of British and Irish fans expected to push the country's hospitality to the limit, would show whether New Zealand was capable of anything more.

"The Lions tour is probably going to be the biggest event this country's ever hosted," Moller told National Radio today.

"If we can successfully do that, it'll certainly give us a lot of experience, understanding and capability to consider whether we could pull off the big one."

Top of Moller's wish list was a stadium worthy of hosting a World Cup final.

Auckland's Eden Park hosted the 1987 final but with a capacity of just over 40,000, would be too small by today's standards.

"We do need a national stadium, in all probability in Auckland, minimum 60,000 seats, probably up to 80,000, to generate the revenue and have sufficient spectators, such a stadium would be absolutely essential," Moller said.

Moller wouldn't rule out a co-hosting bid with another country.

New Zealand was set to co-host last year's tournament with Australia, but it lost the rights to do so following a stand-off over commercial obligations.

"We're keeping all our options open, and thinking through the alternatives."

NZRU have asked Government funding agency Sparc for a feasibility study.

Sparc chief executive Nick Hill admitted he was sceptical, and agreed a national stadium was mandatory.

"Economically it's going to be pretty tough to put something together that stacks up," Hill said.

"The issue is around stadia, and whether we have a stadium that's large enough to make something like this economic."

New Zealand follows South Africa and Japan, which were the first two countries to apply to host the seventh edition of the tournament.

The IRB is yet to confirm the criteria on which hosting bids will be judged. That is likely to become available to prospective hosts in November, at which time they must decide whether they want to proceed with a bid.

The IRB is likely to announce the 2011 hosts in November next year.

The Argentine Rugby Union (UAR) last week began talks to try to secure Buenos Aires as one of the venues for the tournament if it is staged by South Africa.

France is staging the 2007 World Cup and some of the matches will be played in Wales and Scotland.

- NZPA