Rugby World Cup 2011 matches rescheduled

Rugby World Cup 2011 matches rescheduled

Three of the five Rugby World Cup pool matches that were to have been held in Christchurch, but have had to be moved because of the February earthquake, will remain in the South Island. Rugby officials announced today (30.03.2011) that Nelson, Dunedin and Invercargill will each host an additional match, with the remaining two to be held in Wellington and North Harbour on Auckland’s North Shore. The two quarter-finals, due to be played in Christchurch on 8 and 9 October, will be played at Eden Park in Auckland. Tournament organiser Rugby New Zealand 2011 announced the revised match schedule following the decision to reallocate all matches from Christchurch because of earthquake damage to AMI Stadium and Christchurch city.

New match schedule

The rescheduled matches mean Argentina will play England in Dunedin on 10 September, Australia plays Italy at North Harbour, Auckland on 11 September, England faces Georgia in Dunedin on 18 September, Argentina plays Scotland in Wellington on 25 September, and Australia plays Russia at Nelson on 1 October. As part of the rescheduling, one non-Christchurch match, Scotland against Georgia, will be moved from Dunedin to Invercargill on 14 September, for operational reasons. Rugby World Cup Ltd chairman Bernard Lapasset said that all tournament stakeholders had been supportive throughout the rescheduling process. "Following the difficult decision to transfer the Christchurch matches, all involved have worked hard to confirm the new venues as quickly as possible. We are pleased that three of the five matches will remain in the South Island," Lapasset said.

Rugby New Zealand

Rugby New Zealand 2011 chief executive Martin Snedden said it was always RNZ’s desire to transfer as many of the Christchurch pool matches as was reasonably possible to other existing South Island venues. Today’s decision provided certainty for the affected seven teams, their fans and media, Snedden said. "This has been a complex logistical process, but with the help of our Tournament partners, the arrangements are now complete," he said. RNZ 2011 also announced that the new fully enclosed Otago Stadium in Dunedin, which is nearing completion, has met the criteria to be confirmed as a World Cup match venue. "The Otago Stadium operators have provided us with the assurances we need for us to now be confident that the new venue will be ready to deliver on its tournament obligations," said Snedden.

Match refund

Organisers also said that ticket purchasers for all Christchurch matches and Scotland's game against Georgia match will receive a refund and the opportunity to secure replacement tickets to the rescheduled matches during a priority purchase period. Rescheduling games has also meant a number of changes to team bases. Queenstown will now host Georgia as well as Ireland, Romania and England, while Hanmer Springs in north Canterbury becomes a new team base and will host Australia over four nights.

Chance for Canterbury

Nelson’s Mayor Aldo Miccio says hosting another RWC 2011 game will be a real boon to the South Island’s expected tourist movements and also give Cantabrians a chance to still take part in the tournament.

"We wanted to do whatever we could to keep visitors in the South Island, so we are extremely pleased about the allocation of this game to Nelson." Nelson will also host a fourth team - Australia will stay and train in the region four nights from 28 September to 1 October.

The match will be Russia’s second in the region. The team is already scheduled to play Italy at Trafalgar Park on 20 September. Their stay will be extended to also include 28 September to 1 October for a total of six nights.

RWC 2011 rescheduled pool matches: 10 Sept Pool B Argentina v England - Otago Stadium, Dunedin (20.30) 11 Sept Pool C Australia v Italy - North Harbour Stadium, Auckland (15.30) 18 Sept Pool B England v Georgia - Otago Stadium, Dunedin (18.00 ) 25 Sept Pool B Argentina v Scotland - Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington (20.30) 1 Oct Pool C Australia v Russia - Trafalgar Park, Nelson (15.30)

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