Rugby World Cup – New Zealand – 2011

 

The Rugby World Cup (RWC) is one of the top sporting events in the World. In 2007 the RWC was held in France … and what a success that tournament was! The total attendance at the gates was 2.25 million people, with an average match attendance of 47,000 across 48 tournament matches. Television coverage was also a smash hit and not just in the traditional “rugby loving” countries, the Final itself was estimated to have been watched by a massive 61 million people. And, of course the winners were South Africa, who just pipped England in a thrilling final.

And so attention now turns to Rugby World Cup 2011 – to be held in New Zealand. It may seem a long way off, but planning and indeed qualifying have already begun in earnest. The full match schedule has already been chosen, with two quarter finals being held in each of Christchurch and Wellington. The semi finals, third place (bronze match) and Final will all be played in Auckland.

Talking of qualifying teams the following twelve countries were already assured of a place at RWC2011:

  • South Africa (winners in 2007)
  • England (runners up)
  • Argentina & France (the losing semi finalists)
  • Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Scotland (the losing quarter finalists)
  • Ireland, Italy, Tonga and Wales (the next best placed teams in the round robin stage)

The remaining eight places will be decided by a series of qualifying rounds and play-off games, which began in April 2008 – just six months after the 2007 Final!

The next step toward RWC2011 was the announcement of the “pool allocation” which took place in London on 1st December 2008 within the giant New Zealand rugby ball (last seen at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in France 2007). The RWC2011 Pools are:

Pool A:  New Zealand, France, Tonga, Americas 1, Asia 1

Pool B:  Argentina, England, Scotland, Europe 1, Final Place Playoff

Pool C:  Australia, Ireland, Italy, Europe 2, Americas 2

Pool D:  South Africa, Wales, Fiji, Oceania 1, Africa 1

The remaining eight places are being played for in the current Qualifying Rounds.

Also on 1st December 2008 the new "script" for the 2011 tournament was announced, and later in March 2009 the "look and feel" visual was unveiled - it is The Mangapore, or hammerhead shark, and will become the central design element of the RWC 2011. This design was chosen to reflect the unique Maori culture of New Zealand.

The full match schedule was released on 12 March 2009. There will be 48 matches, scheduled across 13 venues in 13 different New Zealand cities: Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Invercargill, Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth, North Shore (Auckland), Palmerston North, Rotorua, Wellington, and Whangarei.

Four quarter final matches will be split equally between Christchurch and Wellington, and both the semi finals, Bronze Final,  and the FINAL will be held at Eden Park, Auckland. The full match schedule can be seen on the RWC official website - see link below.

If you would like to know more about the Rugby World Cup, and preparations for RWC2011, please visit the official RWC website at: http://www.rugbyworldcup.com

Accommodation

If you are planning a trip to New Zealand for, or during, the World Cup 2011 don’t forget good accommodation will be at a premium and many hotels and motels may be pre-booked for tour groups, so why not take advantage of some of the best hospitality in the world and stay at our world famous kiwi Bed & Breakfast establishments!

You can plan your whole trip (accommodation and activities) right here on BestBnB.co.nz