Australian rugby seems to be full of contentious debates at the moment – and here is another that will gather steam over the next three years, I am sure.
After the pool stage exit from the World Cup last month, Rugby Australia has many questions that it needs to ask itself to get itself in order.
With the home tournament on the horizon in four years, these upcoming years will prove to be a serious crossroads for the governing body as they prepare for the tournament. We will all be in nervous anticipation for what will be to come as the final takes place on our shores for the first time in 24 years.
However, the question remains which venue/city will get the honour of hosting the final?
While venues have not been locked in, requirements from the governing body stipulate a minimum 60,000 capacity for World Rugby’s biggest match, leaving only three stadiums, including Optus Stadium in Perth, the MCG in Melbourne and Accor Stadium in Sydney.
Now while Perth is being considered with its time zone for European audiences making it a possibility, it does appear a two-horse race between the latter options.
Now with any luck, the Wallabies with coach (yet to be decided) hopefully helping lift the Webb Ellis Cup into the night sky. The question remains, in my mind, whether it will be towards the skies of Sydney or in the metropolis of Melbourne.
The case of Sydney is very much an easy one to argue for rugby union fans in Australia. They have held it before in 2003 which saw England beat Australia and did a fairly good job in hosting.
It is the biggest rectangular stadium in Australia which is designed for rugby to be the primary users of the ground. This means from a spectator’s point of view that fans will get a better view and will look far better on broadcast compared to the oval-shaped MCG.
Also having the final in the state which has the biggest share of registered rugby union players, it feels like the natural choice to acknowledge the heartland of the game with the hosting duties.
On all reports, it does appear likely that it will held there with the shortlist of venues from Rugby Australia containing the Sydney-based stadium and not the MCG.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
While it may be easy to dimmish the idea of a Melbourne final in 2027 particularly within the heartland of rugby union, the further you look into it, the possibility becomes more realistic.
On a pure numbers basis, Melbourne is clear by the distance of James Slipper trying to chase down a prime Brian Habana on a breakaway…absolute miles.
While it is unlikely that the full 100,024 would be in use with requirements for security and the media required by World Rugby, it is still likely to be in the 95,000+ range.
This would still give at least another 13,000 people able to attend the match compared to Accor Stadium where that capacity may just reach above 82,000. The extra revenue that this would generate would certainly assist in generating the biggest profit imaginable.
The relationship between the Victorian Government and Rugby Australia is also a relatively strong one. The investment that the Victorian government has made into rugby union as shown in their estimated $20 million, eight-year deal back in 2017 to help develop the game in the state by having six test matches held in the state.
From the point of view of Australian Rugby, having the final in Melbourne could help further grow the game within the state and thus drive participation rates in the sport.
While playing in Sydney would help reaffirm the supporter base of Rugby Union in Australia, the final being played in Melbourne might have the ability to expand the reach of the game and leave a lasting impact beyond the six weeks of the tournament in the Garden State.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
In this tale of two cities, it depends on what you value.
If it is purely on capacity and the economic side, then the Melbourne Cricket Ground is a no-brainer due to the roughly 15,000 seats difference between it and Stadium Australia.
Even if you sell 90 per cent of all tickets, that is still more than a packed-out Accor Stadium. If it is purely about making sure that you stay in rugby heartland, then Sydney is a no-brainer.
Playing in a stadium that is purpose-built and where the game is most popular, gives respect to the main contributors to the game itself.
But if we are going to make the hassle of putting it after the AFL and NRL seasons are finished to make sure it gets it clear running, then in turn we need to make sure that we can get as many spectators who may be distracted by both codes seasons to turn up and watch whether on the telly or in person.
We need to ensure that the biggest games like the final have the biggest capacity to get behind it to help capture as much interest as possible.
If we want to go down that route, then the final should be played in Melbourne.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Are there many that are easy to get to though? Twickenham is about an hour on PT from central London? Yokohama station was 25-35 mins from the ground but being a city of 3.8M it's on the smaller side and rare to have stadia of that size. Eden Park was closer but smaller than the 4 largest Aus Stadia. Stade De France is about 30 mins from central Paris on PT
GWSingapore
Roar Rookie
Agreed. Perth would be a good choice for the final. But please. Not Homebush! (Although, hang on. Won’t the new Western Sydney Airport be open by then. Might be able to fly down to that Airport making it easier to get to Homebush than from central Sydney.)
GWSingapore
Roar Rookie
I can certainly agree with your comments Barry re Stade de France. I never want to travel to or see St Denis again for the rest of my life. For the 2d semi final my seats were in the top deck five rows from the back. Climbing the steps was like climbing a ladder and guess what? No hand rails! Would not pass any safety standards here in Singapore, probably not in Australia either. We had bus travel to and from the games. Took longer on journeys to get to the ground and back than the actual matches playing time. One Australian tour group even missed a quarter of the final due to their bus being stuck in traffic. Good luck with the Olympics next year. Stade de France is the main stadium. If you think you have heard whining before from athletes at Olympics, I suspect it will be nothing compared to next year.
Crazy Horse
Roar Pro
Optus holds 65,000 in rectangular mode and has already hosted an AFL Grand Final. There's also the purpose built for Rugby 20,000 (expandable to 30,000) seat stadium HBF Park
Barry Smyth
Roar Rookie
A la Stade De France! World Rugby would have noted the constant complaints from visiting fans about getting to & from that stadium in Paris, nightmare.
TMAB
Roar Rookie
Once upon a time, a test rugby game at an Australian venue used to be handled like a profile international sporting event. Host stadiums would present their arenas like no other sport was on the immediate schedule. The prominence of the AFL line markings on the MCG playing surface when that venue hosted the 2023 Bledisloe Cup game suggested that the locals had a view that while the international rugby event MIGHT be important, they still had the Round 20 AFL local derby between Richmond and Melbourne to get away the next day. If Victoria was really serious about securing the right to host the RWC 2027 Final (and with a 100k capacity stadium, they’d have to be a very real chance), would you not think they’d at least make an effort to give an impression that they cared about it?
Eltski
Roar Rookie
Having watched rugby at a few footy ovals now I'd say it has to be a rectangular, purpose built, stadium. The atmosphere at an oval can't compare and you just feel distant from the game.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
They had only 2 possibilities with a capacity greater than 60k. In 2003 we had the QFs in Bris and Mel, the SF's in Syd and the Final in Syd. So I don't see any reason why the knock out stage may not but split across 3 or 4 locations. Importantly the Melbourne QF's were at Docklands, so likely impacted by MCG availability at the time (I think due to Sheffield Shield which is no longer played at the MCG). Effectively the 2027 RWC will have 2 60k+ stadiums available that were not for 2003.
AndyS
Roar Rookie
Big part too, as I noted. So why would this be any different? The French had four possibilities, contained within an area two thirds the size of NSW alone. We have three, spread the width of Australia (if Perth is thought a genuine option). But they only used one for all but two of the earliest finals. No likelihood we'll be doing much different and playing the finals series all over...as I said, it'll be one of two locations for pretty much all of the finals and it'll come down to where their heart is, or where the money is. And in their current straits, their heads are all about money.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Its only 10 minutes more from centre of Perth CBD to Optus. In both cases most would take PT, which is also quick and frequent.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
On your logic any part of capitalism is essentially a bribe. We can question the return on investment for the bidder, but that doesn't make it a bribe.
ScottD
Roar Guru
Easter states and NZ is the least important TV market.
ScottD
Roar Guru
Thinking Australia is in the final takes some imagining...... :laughing:
GWSingapore
Roar Rookie
One huge advantage that the MCG holds is that you can walk to and from there from the heart of Melbourne's Central Business and Entertainment District. You don't have the long, slow, dull, tiresome and monotonous train or bus journey from Central Sydney to get to Homebush.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
I’d say more likely about maximising the ticket sales and profit. They had no problem moving teams around. In their pool Fiji played in Saint-Etienne, Bordeaux and Toulouse. Wales played in Bordeaux, Nice, Lyon and Nantes. Lyon is closer to Paris than Marseille so I’d say the selection of Marseille wasn’t related to proximity.
AndyS
Roar Rookie
So in other words, four in the frame for finals yet only one used for 6 out of 8 finals. I doubt it is about the teams or even the average supporter; it is about moving the whole RWC machine around.
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
And yet, you ask the players and they will tell you it’s the best atmosphere in the country. My guess, they’ll find an extra 5000 seats.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
I don’t think Perth meaning the game is “middle of the day” in most markets will be a selling point. Whether the game is at 10am or midday, it ain’t prime time, but is during day time hours so will have the same value.
Honest Max
Roar Rookie
It’d be better to play the game at 6am in Perth. Don’t get me wrong, that’s also a stupid idea, but an 11pm kick-off for the eastern states and 1am in NZ and the PIs is possibly the worst option imaginable.
Honest Max
Roar Rookie
Eden Park says hello.