Rugby World Cup
Snedden not concerned with All Blacks
ESPNscrum Staff
June 8, 2011
RNZ 2011 chief executive Martin Snedden announces the RWC'11 bases, Rugby World Cup 2011 team base allocation announcement, The Heritage Hotel, Auckland, New Zealand, December 18, 2009
Rugby World Cup chief Martin Snedden is hoping for a successful tournament © Getty Images
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Rugby World Cup chief executive Martin Snedden is far more concerned with delivering a successful tournament than whether the All Blacks can end their long title drought.

The former New Zealand cricketer believes that most of the 85,000 people expected to visit during the tournament "don't give a toss" if the hosts win.

Since the 1987 tournament, won by the All Blacks on home soil, the country's rugby fans have endured numerous false starts and embarrassing exits in the knockout stages.

"I talk to New Zealand audiences all the time about this and half the audience shakes their heads and think I'm an idiot," Snedden told the Eden Magnet.

"But we haven't won the thing for 24 years, we know that, we've got a great chance again this year, we're in great form once again, expectations are high, [we are the] ranked No.1 team in the world.

"If we don't happen to win it then we'll get another chance to win it in 2015 and we'll get another chance to win it in 2019 and so on. We don't get another chance to host Rugby World Cup."

Snedden, who said the economic reality of hosting the event meant New Zealand could probably not afford to host the World Cup on its own again, added: "We've got to make the most of this hosting opportunity and for the 85,000 people coming here…they don't give a toss about how the All Blacks get on in this tournament, how they're going to judge this tournament is what's the welcome been like in New Zealand, what's it been like being in New Zealand for those average of 23 days or however long they're here."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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