Let the games commence!The Rugby World Cup is just round the corner and the host country of New Zealand is determined to stage a great national event, writes Robert Hart

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t 8.30pm (9.30am BST) on 9 September, the New Zealand All Blacks and the South

Sea Islanders of Tonga will kick off in Eden Park stadium in Auckland in the first match of one of the world’s biggest sporting events.

Teams from 20 countries will battle it out in 48 games over six weeks of titanic physical and mental effort, first in a series of pool matches and then in a knock-out phase, for the right to play in the final on 23 October, again at Eden Park, and the chance to lift the Webb Ellis trophy.

Hosting the World Cup will certainly be the biggest sporting event ever staged in New Zealand. Rugby is New Zealand’s national sport; the country lives and breathes rugby, and its population of just over four million will be keyed up and gripped by every pass, kick and try.

But for the hosts it won’t be simply a sporting occasion. New Zealanders are very conscious of the fact that they live very far from much of the rest of the world. They see the World Cup as a great chance to show off their spectacularly beautiful land to the international visitors who will pour in to watch rugby, to travel, to see the many good things that New Zealand has to offer and, hopefully, want to return.

To grasp this opportunity, a government body, New Zealand 2011, is orchestrating a REAL New Zealand Festival, with events, exhibitions and shows all over the country to run alongside the World

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Cup. As many as 1,000 different events scattered across the North and South Islands will celebrate New Zealand’s culture, business opportunities, food and wine, natural riches and, not least, its devotion to rugby at grass roots level (see page 13 to find out more).

Martin Snedden, CEO of Rugby World Cup 2011, the tournament organising committee, sums it up: “(This) is not just about rugby, and it is certainly not just about the All Blacks. It is about our country using this opportunity as maybe

one of the best catalysts we’ll ever have to bring the best out of ourselves, and to showcase our country and qualities to those 85,000 plus visitors, and the millions of others closely following this event from afar.” New Zealand’s reputation is on the line, says Snedden. New Zealand’s reputation is on the line, says Snedden, calling for what he calls “the Stadium of Four Million” to throw its united support behind the organising committee and the tournament. As kick-off date nears, “the intensity levels have lifted several notches. There is a real buzz around the place,” he says.

CHRISTCHURCH QUAKE But the buzz has inevitably been tragically tempered by the

Above Rugby fans of all ages can get involved in events up and down NZ

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IT’S NEW ZEAlANd’S NATIoNAl SpoRT – THE CoUNTRy lIvES ANd bREATHES RUgby...

earthquake that struck the South Island city of Christchurch in February, killing more than 180 people, injuring 2,000 and causing widespread devastation that will take a decade to repair.

The disaster cast a dark cloud over the whole country that will take a long time to lift. It also struck at the heart of World Cup plans as Christchurch’s newly refurbished AMI Stadium suffered serious structural damage, forcing organisers to announce in mid-March that seven matches, including two quarter-finals, scheduled for Christchurch had to be moved to other venues.

The quarter-finals will be played in Auckland’s Eden Park, as the stadium with the biggest capacity. Three of the five pool games will still be played in the South Island: England versus Argentina on 10 September and England versus Georgia on 18 September, both in Dunedin, and Australia versus Russia on 1 October in Nelson.

Other matches moved from Christchurch are Australia versus Italy on 10 September, to North Harbour, Auckland, and Argentina versus Scotland on 25 September,

to Wellington. Scotland’s game on 14 September against Georgia will be played in Invercargill instead of Dunedin. In a gesture of solidarity with the people of Christchurch, the All Blacks will spend five days training in the city in the build-up to their crucial Pool A encounter with France on 24 September. Turn to page 21 for information about the venues.

poWER plAyOn the pitch, the All Blacks look as awesome as ever and seem sure to start tournament favourites. The sight of the 15 men in their all-black strip performing the Maori Haka war dance before the start of matches thrills spectators everywhere and chills opponents.

The charisma of the All Blacks has attracted many thousands of people to watch rugby and been a major factor in the growing international stature of the game.Im

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THE CHARISmA of THE All blACKS HAS ATTRACTEd mANy THoUSANdS of pEoplE To WATCH RUgby

They swept victorious through last year’s Tri-Nations series that pits them at home and away against Australia’s Wallabies and South Africa’s Springboks, apart from one extra match against Australia, played in Hong Kong at the end of October, when they lost 26-24 in injury time.

In last autumn’s Northern versus Southern Hemisphere internationals in Europe they overpowered England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland. Australia hammered France and Italy and beat Wales, but were comprehensively downed 35-18 by England. The Springboks beat Ireland and Wales narrowly and England more comfortably, but surprisingly lost to Scotland.

This year’s European Six Nations tournament was won by England, whose young team, coached by former World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson, showed real flair, power and pace to beat Wales, France, Italy and Scotland

before losing their way in their bid for the Grand Slam and being trounced 24-8 by Ireland.

The three Southern Hemisphere nations play another reduced Tri-Nations series from this 23 July to 27 August, all no doubt hoping to make a point or two just before the World Cup, but probably, above all, hoping that none of their key players gets injured so close to the big event.

oNE WIN IN SIXBased on recent performances, doubts can again be raised about all of the All Blacks’ main World Cup rivals. So how come this year’s hosts have only won the trophy once, in the 1987 inaugural edition of the four-yearly event, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, when they beat France 29-9 in the final in Auckland?

They were beaten finalists in 1995, going down to the Springboks in South Africa, but otherwise have fallen in the quarter

or semi-finals, apparently overcome by the pressure of the biggest occasion. Australia won in 1991, when the World Cup was staged in the UK, Ireland and France, and again in 1999 in Wales. England took the trophy in 2003, when Jonny Wilkinson stunned the host Australians with a last-minute drop goal. South Africa wore down England in the 2007 final in Paris.

Twelve countries qualified automatically for 2011 by finishing in the top three in their groups in 2007: New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, South Africa, France, England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Fiji and Tonga.

The other eight places were decided in qualification groups in Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Americas. Japan, the United States, Canada, Namibia, Samoa, Georgia and, for the first time, Russia came though the qualifiers last year. Romania secured the last spot by beating Uruguay in a final cross-continental play-off

Top left Auckland’s Eden park is the stadium with the biggest capacity in New Zealand

Above left Christchurch’s AmI Stadium will not be hosting any World Cup matches

Above The All blacks perform the thrilling maori Haka war dance before their matches

Left Will tournament favourite New Zealand win the World Cup?

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earlier this year. The first phase of the tournament involves round robin matches in four groups of five teams, with the top two teams in each group going through to the knockout phase. Cup holders South Africa start their defence against Wales in Wellington on 11 September. England’s tough first game is on 10 September against the Pumas of Argentina. Australia should have an easier start to their campaign a day later against Italy.

Memories of the Cold War may be stirred when World Cup

debutants Russia start their challenge against the USA in New Plymouth on 15 September, while Japan, coached by former All Black John Kirwan, meet France on 10 September in North Harbour. The wave of support and sympathy that will go out from a New Zealand crowd to the Japanese for the desperate plight of their quake- and tsunami-shattered country will surely score high on any scale.

TICKETS ANd STAdIAPushing the Christchurch disaster to the back of their minds, organisers are very happy with the

way the build-up to the tournament is going. RWC 2011 CEO Snedden says at least 85,000 visitors from abroad will come to New Zealand, staying an average of 23 days and with plans to travel widely around the country.

About one million match tickets had been sold by March, two-thirds of the organisers’ final target of 1.45 million for the 48 matches, and Snedden is confident targets will be met. The latest phase of ticket sales closed on 14 March and a final phase opens in mid-year for

the sale of remaining tickets. “We still have a lot left to do,

but event preparations, coupled with ticket sales to date and strong international visitor projections, mean we are getting ourselves in good shape to host the Tournament,” Snedden says.

Stadia have been refurbished and expanded, including Northlands in Whangarei, Taranaki Stadium in New Plymouth, and Napier stadium, which has a new stand.

But the key redevelopment was the country’s biggest stadium, Auckland’s Eden Park. After more than three years of design and

construction, the new-look, 60,000-capacity ground was formally opened by Prime Minister John Key last October. It will host five pool matches, two quarter-finals, the semi-finals, Bronze Final and the Final.

The last, still ongoing project is the building of the new Otago Stadium in Dunedin, the first in New Zealand to be completely covered by a transparent roof.

It should be finished in August, just a month before kick-off, but organisers have already confirmed it will be ready to host matches. With the loss of Christchurch, the 30,000-capacity stadium will stage four pool games, three of them involving England.

fAN ZoNESTo keep local and visiting fans entertained and up-to-date with the rugby action, Fan Zones, on the lines of those created at the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games, will offer match coverage on big screens, up-to-the-minute information, food and drink, music and dance and shopping.Im

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Above left England play Italy in the Six Nations rugby tournament

Above Stadiums in New Zealand have been expanded and refurbished

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mEmoRIES of THE Cold WAR mAy bE STIRREd WHEN WoRld CUp dEbUTANTS RUSSIA CHAllENgE THE USA

Auckland, New Zealand’s biggest city and principal RWC venue, will have four Fan Zones, strategically located in the city centre and in the northern, southern and western suburbs to provide access from all areas.

The central Queen’s Wharf zone will have space for some 20,000 fans and will open every day of the six-week World Cup. Others will be smaller – with room for between 7,000 to 10,000 – and open on selected days. Queens Wharf will also be the venue for a REAL New Zealand Festival opening ceremony and party on 9 September, in tandem with the first World Cup match.

The Fan Zone in the capital, Wellington, has been created as a showcase for Maori culture and the base for a Rugby World Cup 2011 Village. Called the Wharewaka (Maori for “canoe house”), it was designed to house the Wellington city waka (canoe), Te Raukura.

“Wellington should be very proud of this building. It’s a building you couldn’t see anywhere else in the world,” says Mayor Celia

Wade-Brown at a symbolic dawn opening ceremony in February. With all the usual Fan Zone facilities, the Wharewaka has exhibition and function areas, a café and office space. It will host Maori welcome ceremonies and cultural performances, and feature carvings and various interactive history displays.

Here again the Christchurch quake has done its destructive work. The Christchurch Fan Zone was to have been in the main square in front of the cathedral – until the earth shook, the ground

heaved and the cathedral spire came crashing down.

SmAll ToWN HoSTSTo spread the appeal of the World Cup as widely as possible at home and involve local communities, the organisers named 10 smaller towns – seven in the North Island and three in the sparsely populated South Island – to host visiting teams alongside the now 12-match cities. The aim behind this is to give the visiting players, and their fans, a close-up experience of life in New Zealand, its beautiful

Above At least 85,000 rugby-loving visitors are expected in NZ

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scenery, its people and their passion for rugby at the grass roots.

Tonga and Samoa, who with Fiji sent invitation teams to play matches against local regional sides earlier in the year, will train at one of the oldest clubs in the country, the Ponsonby Rugby Club in Auckland, which boasts an honours board stacked with All Blacks such as Bryan Williams, Andy Haden, Joe Stanley and Carlos Spencer.

Any New Zealander will tell you that rugby is part of the Kiwi DNA and a unifying force for its people. You only have to look at a recent All Blacks team list, with Jerome Kaino, Keven Mealamu and Malili Muliaina, among others, lined up beside Richie McCaw, Brad Thorn and Dan Carter, to get the picture. And the picture is repeated at club and local level around the country.

To instill the rugby ethic at an early age, the New Zealand Rugby

Union, the government and RWC 2011 have collaborated to create a rugby-based education programme to encourage primary school pupils in New Zealand to learn about the game, the World Cup tournament and many facets of their own country and visiting nations through online activity books, a social-science-based “Kidzone” and a website featuring the character “Rugger” and his friends.

AN ENglISHmAN’S vIEWEngland flank forward Tom Wood has seen at first hand the instinctive, intuitive, serious but fun way that Kiwi rugby is played. In 2006 he spent eight months in New Zealand, working as a farm hand and turning out for a local club side at weekends.

He was playing alongside farmers who, he says, were desperate to finish their day’s work and get to training. Although not brilliant athletes by professional standards, he says that they played “with smiles on their faces, with natural strength from manual work and with natural flair from playing rugby every day of their lives”.Im

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Wood said that when he went to New Zealand, he was warned that he might lose a contract to play for English club Worcester. But, he says: “My thinking was that if you want to be a doctor, you should go to the top university. If you want to be a rugby player, you should go to New Zealand.”

For all his admiration for New Zealand rugby, Wood is unlikely to show much charity to the hosts if England should come through to face the All Blacks in the late stages of the World Cup. It will then be a battle to the sporting death.

The time for pre-tournament games is almost over, and soon it will be time to leave the talking on the touchline.

Can New Zealand triumph on home soil and end their run of five World Cups without a trophy? Current form says they can. History raises doubts. The “Stadium of Four Million” believes absolutely that they will.

■ For a full list of the match fixtures you can visit the Rugby World Cup website: www.rugbyworldcup.com

Above The England team will be playing against Argentina in their first game

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RUgby IS pART of THE KIWI dNA ANd A UNIfyINg foRCE foR ITS pEoplE