New Zealand has set the bar for future Rugby WorldCups, International Rugby Board chairman Bernard Lapasset said on Monday.
A day after a riveting final in which the All Blacks pipped France 8-7 toend a 24-year wait for its second title, Lapasset dished out high praise for theNew Zealand organizers and hosts of the IRBs seventh showpiece tournament.
The legacy from New Zealand is a great legacy, he said.
New Zealand 2011 will be remembered as one of the great Rugby World Cups,an exceptional tournament. It has been a tournament where New Zealands richculture and heritage has gone hand in hand with rugbys tradition and values.
New Zealanders made it special by embracing the tournament across thecountry, welcoming all 20 teams and 100,000 international fans with open arms.It was quite remarkable.
The IRB relies on the World Cup for 95 percent of its revenue. France 2007delivered a net surplus of more than 122 million pounds (then $250 million),while New Zealand 2011 will provide an estimated 80 million pounds ($128million), the second biggest in tournament history.
The IRB anticipated the shortfall based on New Zealands isolation andpopulation of only 4.4 million, and expected New Zealand, which conceived andhosted the inaugural event in 1987, not to be able to afford to host thetournament ever again. But seeing as it turned into a sporting and operationalsuccess, as Lapasset called it, New Zealanders have backed bidding for anotherWorld Cup, possibly in 2031.
Asked if it will come back, Lapasset said, the Rugby World Cup is not justto make money, its also for rugby reasons, and we have a lot of rugby reasonsto come back to New Zealand.
New Zealand is a great rugby nation and has a great capacity to run a bigand successful tournament. New Zealand 2011 has positioned the country as amajor event host, a superb tourism destination and a welcoming nation. It hasalso taken our sport to new audiences and has set the bar for future hosts.
New Zealand 2011s main revenue from the tournament came from sellingtickets, and organizers said they met minimum targets by selling 87 percent ofavailable tickets worth more than NZ$268 million ($215 million), leaving themwith a loss of about NZ$39 million ($31 million). But organizers chiefexecutive Martin Snedden expected that to be wiped out by the taxes thegovernment will collect from sales.
The number of international visitors, close to 120,000, surpassedexpectations, and an estimated 1 million people enjoyed the fan zone set up onAucklands waterfront during the six-week event.
After the severe disappointment of losing the co-hosting rights for the 2003World Cup because they couldnt meet the IRBs commercial rules, New ZealandRugby Union chairman Mike Eagle said they were grateful for the chance toimpress the IRB.
Tournament chairman Brian Roche said he was comfortable in saying that theydelivered what they promised in the bid they surprisingly won from Japan in2005.
We delivered 48 test matches in 45 days at 12 venues, moved 600 playersand all their freight around the country, and there has not been a glitch,Roche said. Ive had the privilege of hearing feedback from the teams,managers and their supporters, and they have loved this tournament and lovedthis country.
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