NZRU boss slams Aussies over Cup vote

EDINBURGH - Trans-Tasman rugby relations are at one of their lowest ebbs as New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) chief executive Chris Moller today blasted their Australian counterparts for not supporting its World Cup bid.

A week after New Zealand won the 2011 hosting rights in Dublin, Moller said the NZRU planned to discuss at length what action they would take to express their displeasure.

"We would be wrong to hide our extreme disappointment and the wounds of that disappointment will not heal easily," Moller told NZPA at a pre-test Scotland Rugby Union function today.

"We're going to have to think about consequences of this."

Moller wouldn't say what consequences the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) would face, adding he didn't want the fallout to overshadow New Zealand's "great success" in winning the rights.

"We'll take stock of things and when some of the glow from winning subsides, in a sensible manner we'll decide how we approach the relationship in the future.

"But there is no doubt that this is not just something that can be ignored."

ARU chief executive Gary Flowers confirmed soon after the decision was revealed that they voted for Japan in a bid to globalise the game, after initially being supportive of New Zealand's bid in media reports.

Moller said it came as a surprise, but Australia gave no pre-vote indication of who they would support despite "extensive discussions" with New Zealand who sought the crucial backing of their Sanzar partners.

"It's clear we had a compelling case because we managed to be the successful bidder," Moller said.

"We would have liked to think that our closest geographical partner, who we've played rugby against for 100 years, would have been there to support us."

Reports in recent days have put the final vote at 12-9 in New Zealand's favour.

Moller said he didn't know who voted for or against New Zealand in the secret ballot -- aside from delegates who had publicly said so.

Australia and England both confirmed they gave their votes to Japan, while South Africa voted for New Zealand after their bid was eliminated in the first round.

Moller said there were several aspects of Australia's non-support that annoyed him -- notably the memory of the NZRU missing out on the 2003 sub-hosting rights with Australia when they couldn't guarantee "clean" stadiums free of advertising.

"Given the huge disappointment that the nation felt at that time it's just a pity that the ARU chose not to remember the history of that.

"The NZRU has helped them out on one or two occasions; there have been times when the ARU was in severe difficulties and the NZRU went to their aid by playing games and facilitating.

"We also made it clear that we believed there were commercial opportunities for Australia if New Zealand hosted the bid.

"I'm sure there would have been, and probably still are some great opportunities in terms of Australia for tourism."

Moller had yet to hear from anyone from the ARU with a congratulatory message, or otherwise.

He said he had seen the letter written by one of world's leading sports business consultants, Rod McGeoch, who this week slammed the ARU's decision.

"The position that the ARU has taken exhibits political naivety at a breathtaking level," McGeoch wrote to ARU chairman Dilip Kumar and Flowers.

"Your closest playing partner, your Sanzar partner, your Anzac colleague and your traditional neighbour was entitled to believe (that once at least South Africa lost in the first round) you would give your unreserved support to New Zealand.

"That the ARU has failed to do so is to my mind a sad moment indeed in the relationships between the two countries."

McGeoch, an Australian who chaired the Sydney 2000 Olympic bid committee and helped Athens secure the Olympics in 2004, was a member of the NZRU's World Cup 2011 advisory committee.

- NZPA