Quake-ravaged Christchurch will lose its Rugby World Cup hosting rights on the back of a new report showing the city’s stadium is unfit for games, British media is reporting.
London’s Daily Telegraph newspaper says it has confirmation from a senior International Rugby Board (IRB) source that the engineers’ structural report will end the city’s hosting chances.
Christchurch was set to host two quarter-finals and five group stage games in the competition.
However, the 6.3-magnitude quake that struck on February 22 destroyed much of the CBD, where hundreds of fans were to be accommodated, and damaged AMI stadium’s stands and grounds.
About 180 people were killed in the disaster.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker have both been actively fighting to keep the games in the city, saying the town was safe despite aftershocks.
But the Telegraph online said on Tuesday that the report on the state of the stadium was “bleak” and showed it “will not be fit for purpose in time for the start of the tournament in September”.
It said the IRB had promised all games would still be played in New Zealand.
The decision is likely be confirmed by the IRB and the New Zealand government in the next 48 hours, the report said.
The newspaper also confirmed that the England squad, which was to be staying at the city’s damaged Crowne Plaza hotel, are now likely to be based in Auckland for the tournament.
The Wallabies were also due to be based in the city for three weeks, staying at the Millennium Hotel in the damaged CBD’s cordoned-off area.
The team has yet to announce an updated plan.
The news is in keeping with reports from commentators in recent days.
Late last week British rugby writer Peter Bills said residents and officials alike needed to face the “harsh, brutal truth” that the city will have to miss out.
“After two earthquakes and many aftershocks in the Christchurch area over the past six months, who on earth could make a decision to go ahead with inviting thousands of overseas rugby supporters into the region, guaranteeing that there would not be another quake?” Bills said.
Mr Key has emphatically denied this risk, saying “I go there on a very regular basis and I don’t feel unsafe”.
Brett McKay
Guest
saw a report earlier (The Australian, I think), that said two pool games to Dunedin, the other three to Nelson, and the QFs to Auckland.....
Jerry
Guest
They haven't confirmed the pools will definitely be in the Sth Island, just hinted that they hoped some would be. It wouldn't surprise me if at least one (probably the England v Argentina fixture) was also moved to Auckland.
Darwin Stubbie
Guest
Well the decision has been made - and not surprisingly they've had to move them all .... as expected quarters to Akld - and the pools matches reported to remain in Sth Island .. which means Dunedin, Nelson and Invercargill one would think - Wallabies v Scotland or Italy in Invercargill would be interesting - given how the oz super sides have shown a distinct aversion to fronting up at that venue in the past
King of the Gorgonites
Roar Guru
Your miss the point. peopel are flying in the day of the game. they now need to travel 6 hours to see the game. its not Christhchurchs fault, but it is turning into a disaster.
Darwin Stubbie
Guest
Warren - all god suggestions - I just quickly scanned the draw and tried to place games in areas that weren't scheduled for games on the specific days ... but in the end - the capacity is there for a take up of the games
Darwin Stubbie
Guest
Where have you been for the last week ?
bjornthor
Guest
They should have chosen Japan. Missing the opportunity to expanding the game in Asia was a terrible decision. WC in Japan would have been a much better platform for the game. Weren't there some politics involved in this? IRB wives involved somehow? Payback for losing to Aust as hosts? Anyone?
Hollywood
Guest
How tragic for you mate, how tragic.. The place is demolished, the people there, whilst they would love to host you, and the games, realize that their beloved city now cannot. Pack a tent, enjoy Nelson or Dunedin or wherever they choose to play Australia V Russia, and stop in Christchurch for a night and spend some of your hard earned, and I will start a fundraiser for your tragedy.... really, get it in percpective
Ross
Guest
New Zealand probably is too small, but given that they've given so much to rugby having one last World Cup there before the tournament is way to big to be held there is okay. It's not like holding the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
nicksa
Guest
I am a south african and i fully agree with u bigbas! rugby would not be the same without the all blacks, nz deserve this world cup.
Jerry
Guest
Unless they put under-turf heating (like they have at Murrayfield) in Queenstown, the players might not be quite so keen on that idea...
warrenexpatinnz
Guest
DS main problem with Dunedin is infrastructure again and location from the other main centres. We need to remember this is a six week tournament and a large number of overseas supporters will treat this as a sightseeing holiday with busing the main form of cost effective transport. Personaly I believe Rotorua and Hamilton will be in line to pick up the pool games as both have stadiums able to fit 35,000 and both have good accommodation levels, Rotorua having the larger quantity than Hamilton. With that Rotorua is an hour away from Tauranga and Mount Manganui were cruise ships can be moored and buses transfer supporters to and from Rotorua. Baypark stadium in Mount Manganui, which is ten minutes from Tauranga and again an hour from Rotorua, has a 25,000 seat stadium which could handle the 'lesser' two games of that pool. With whatever the outcome 2/3 of all revenue, excluding IRB take needs to be funded back to the Christchurch fund, how? Don't know.
NickF
Guest
Why not move the games to Queenstown, heaps of hotels! Ski all day, of the the rugby at night and Queenstown pubs and bars into the wee small hours. Now that's what I call a World Cup!
B-Rock
Roar Guru
Probably was harsh but to be fair there was a number of criticisms of NZ hosting the WC prior to the earthquake - accomodation was always an issue, with fans having to be billited out to families, stay on cruise ships and fly back to Oz straight after the game. The fact is that the RWC is (arguably) the third largest sporting event in the world and NZ is a small country. Saying that, the decision was made long ago to give it to NZ and taking games off the region at this stage is harsh - surely there are other options, maybe shift the major games to more able cities but maintain the pool games at regional grounds or play them in surrounding towns not as impacted by the quake.
Darwin Stubbie
Guest
Exactly - I really don't know what all the fuss is about ... it's not a great outcome for Chch - but I've a feeling that there's been a growing realisation that it wasn't going to happen and really the city needs the time to get things prioritised properly - rushing to get the stadium sorted while delaying essential facilities elsewhere wouldn't be a good thing. A quick look at the draw shows there's plenty of capacity elsewhere .. esp when you consider that the pool games weren't likely to draw capacity crowds anyway ... Arg, Eng, Aust, Italy, Georgia and Scotland were all scheduled to play games there ... the bigger games Arg v Eng / Aust v Italy and Scotland can easily be handled by Dunedin who have only 3 games scheduled there at present and that ground can hold 30,000 .... the other games Eng v Georgia and Aust v Russia could go to any of the other regions Napier / Palm Nth, Nelson, Invercargill ... None of the quarters were scduled for Akld - so it's a given the 2 Chch ones will head there to take advantage of the biggest stadium
sixo_clock
Roar Guru
Brilliant!! And to make matters worse it would work!!
Tui
Guest
Who gives a flying one about stadium sizes?? NZ (and probably Wales) are the only places on earth where a world cup would have almost every person in the country completely engrossed in the event. The game is a religion in our country. A RWC in Japan would be as average and forgettable as the Football one was (I was there for part of it). It is tragic that Christchurch has missed out on these games but moving them elsewhere is not going to create as big an issue as some are making out.
NickF
Guest
Why don't they move the Christchurch games to Melbourne, and get as much of the proceeds back to Christchurch as possible. The funds needed to rebuild Christchurch surely outweighs anything else.
bigbaz
Guest
Our claim has always been that rugby is a game for all sizes and surely we mean that not just in the physical sense of individuals.A country like NZ is never going to hold a football world cup nor an olympics but our game can reward the games most fanatical supporters.The big end of town [and referees] have been trying to hijack our game for years but the supporters and players own it.There is no place a true blue fan would rather this world cup be held than NZ.I only hope Christchurch receives some benefit from NZs time in the sun.
Adrian
Guest
What a shame but the fact remains NZ isn't big enough to host a WC. Tournament should have gone to Japan in the first place (don't think games were to be played in the tsunami zone?) In what is often described as the second largest world cup competition after FIFAs WC now the second largest stadium (only 43,000 capacity) is out of action. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.