Rugby World Cup organisers predict huge losses

(GETTY IMAGES)

Despite strong interest in next year's Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, Martin Snedden is still predicting a sizeable loss for Rugby New Zealand 2011 Ltd.

The tournament's organisers - a joint venture between the New Zealand Rugby Union and the government - originally estimated a loss of NZ 30million but when expectations around ticket sales were downgraded it blew out by a further 9.3million as the only income RNZ 2011 receives is from the sale of tickets.

Now with 85,000 match tickets sold as part of official travel packages and 50,000 fans from more than 100 countries pre-registering for venue and team pool packs, which went on global sale on Tuesday, Snedden, RNZ 2011 chief executive, remains optimistic that the 39.3million figure will not blow out further.

"At the moment we are sitting at a projected loss of just over 39million and I think we're confident enough to stay there at the moment and certainly the events around the start of the ticket campaign have given us a bit of comfort there," Snedden said, 500 days out from the start of rugby's showpiece event.

"We will continue to evaluate the whole thing ... but we're happy enough with where we sit at the moment.

"We know that selling 1.65 million tickets is going to be a huge challenge. But it's really motivating when you start off the whole campaign and you get such an instant positive response." Fans in Wellington were able to pose with the Webb Ellis Cup on Tuesday, a trophy New Zealand has not won since 1987, as the promotion for the start of phase one of the ticketing process swung into top gear.

The applications for venue and pool packs close on Friday, May 21 with individual match tickets expected to be on sale later this year. A ballot system will be used for tickets to the semi-finals and final, which will all be played at Auckland's revamped Eden Park.

The tournament will kick off with New Zealand taking on Tonga at Eden Park on September 9 and Snedden said ensuring the ticketing programme went smoothly was a priority.

"Making sure the ticketing process goes well is a key factor for us. We've got to sell a bucket load of tickets. We've got to sell 1.65 million tickets," he said.

"I'm not expecting to sell all of those in 2010. I would love to have the vast majority of them sold by late this year, early next year but I'm also resigned to the fact that I think we're going to be selling tickets right through the whole process and during the tournament itself."

Rugby Football Union elite rugby director Rob Andrew offered an optimistic forecast on the back of encouraging ticket sales to England fans.

And the former England fly-half, who played in three World Cups, is stunned by the place the competition now occupies in the public consciousness compared to his last appearance in 1995.

He said: "The growth and expansion of Rugby World Cup in the last 20 years is just extraordinary.

"Rugby World Cup has now taken off to such an extent that each one has got bigger and bigger in terms of the number of people travelling, the event itself and the interest from the pool phase right the way through to the final.

"Looking back to France 2007 and Australia 2003, what struck me more than anything was the number of England fans travelling, arriving, attending and following the team.

"It's that feeling of 'this is my team and I'm here, I want to be here', because if you didn't go and you missed out on something as special as what can happen at any Rugby World Cup, it never comes back."