Wednesday is D-Day for RWC decision
April 15, 2002

The Australian Rugby Union will find out on Wednesday whether they will be allowed to host next year's World Cup on their own.

International Rugby Board chiefs will make their final decision on a row which has rumbled on since last autumn and caused the embarrassing postponement of the tournament draw in Sydney two months ago.

Rugby World Cup Limited - a subsidiary body of the IRB charged with running next year's flagship competition - controversially axed New Zealand as co-hosts following their failure to agree to provide 'clean' stadiums for the event, free from pre-existing advertising arrangements.

There has since followed a series of heated arguments between the NZRFU and their Australian counterparts, with the Kiwis arguing their Tasman neighbours had manipulated the situation for their own ends.

The IRB have been quick to deny that allegation and have adopted an increasingly hardline stance over the whole issue, claiming the New Zealand authorities were fully aware of the situation when the original World Cup documents were signed four years ago.

The ARU put forward their proposals for hosting the event on their own two weeks ago and claimed they had satisfied all RWC demands.

If that is so it appears certain New Zealand's only involvement will be from a playing perspective - a situation which is sure to result in a full-scale inquiry, probably at government level, over the subsequent huge loss of revenue.

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