Australia have pledged to stage the "best ever" Rugby World Cup after finally gaining the nod from the International Rugby Board yesterday as sole hosts of the 2003 tournament. Instead of half the games being played in New Zealand, the entire event will now be held on the other side of the Tasman Sea with a revised match schedule to be announced within the next month.
Not content with stripping New Zealand of their sub-hosting rights, the IRB also castigated the Kiwis for their "wholly inappropriate behaviour" during a saga which escalated when the NZRFU felt unable to guarantee advertisement-free stadiums. The NZRFU chairman Murray McCaw responded by accusing the world governing body of making a decision based purely on money, conveniently overlooking his own union's ill-advised gunboat diplomacy.
A New Zealander's definition of hell is being outmanoeuvred by an Australian and the former All Black No8 Zinzan Brooke immediately called for his fellow countrymen to consider boycotting the event in protest.
"This is a real shock for New Zealand, a big blow," said Brooke. "It's a kick in the teeth and I would like to see the All Blacks respond by threatening to pull out of the tournament."
In Brooke's view the All Blacks should also reconsider their Test schedule this year. "There is no way that New Zealand should play the Bledisloe Cup games against Australia; they should just let the Aussies hang on to the cup if that's what they want.
"It's pathetic but the All Blacks will mop all this up as motivation. I can't wait for the next time the teams play each other. The Aussies are just going to have to watch out, that's for sure."
Had New Zealand's frenzied last-ditch lobbying succeeded, there were suggestions that Australia themselves were ready to walk away from the tournament.
The NZRFU's final throw was to offer to stage only one pool, featuring the All Blacks and Wales, which would have left Australia with the rest, but the IRB has belatedly realised that a country that made such a success of staging the Olympics might just be capable of staging a half-decent 20-nation rugby extravaganza on their own.
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