New Zealand is preparing a bid to host the Rugby League World Cup for the first time since the 1987 final was played at Eden Park. NZRL chairman Scott Carter has returned from last week's International Federation executive meeting in Singapore having made an early submission to co-host the 2017 tournament with Australia. http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/sp ... -World-Cup

New Zealand is preparing a bid to host the Rugby League World Cup for the first time since the 1987 final was played at Eden Park. NZRL chairman Scott Carter has returned from last week's International Federation executive meeting in Singapore having made an early submission to co-host the 2017 tournament with Australia. http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/sp ... -World-Cup

why the hell can't they host it on their own??

Is there the appetite for league in New Zealand though Roughyed? I mean sufficient interest to host an entire World Cup. The tidal wave of interest and growth predicted after their World Cup win didn't materialise and I think (and from this article and others I've read, it seems like the NZRL think so too) that the costs of hosting a whole tournament could be suicide for league in NZ.

Basically I guess it boils down to the fact that NZ want to play the majority of their games at home. Why don't England bid to co host? Think of the money we'll all save.

Good move, I would hope France would do something similar for 2021. Perhaps for 2017 a four group comp with 2 groups in each country; Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland and either Wellington or Christchurch. Then they can divide the quarters and semis then decide who gets the final.

Going to be difficult to finance the competition if it is based exclusively in NZ, and in monetary terms would most likely be a failure. What evidence is there that the NZ public would turn out in numbers to watch France vs PNG, or Lebanon vs. Wales ? If large numbers of fans travelled to NZ, then NZ would struggle to cope in terms of transport infrastructure and accommodation. Semis and final should be in Australia.

How are they going to go on with the rugby union world cup then?

people say there is'nt the appetite for the game in NZ....but how do we know?


you can count on your fingers the number of tests they've hosted in the last 8-10 years..the NZRL are unbelievably lazy...they are all to keen on everyone else doing the ground work....and the only reason they continue to agree to the annual anzac flogging is cos the ARL gives them a big fat cheque..

it would be good to see games taken around the country.

By all means play Australia and England at Eden park or the cake tin, but games like Ireland v Samoa would get a good crowd near Manukau City south of Auckland. 1 in 4 of the population there is of Pacific origin, that's 80,000 islanders......and it's about a 15 minute drive to Mount Smart, that holds 30k. That would sell out.

8,602 for that game in Australia. 26,000 for the total games in that group (with Tonga). I would reckon that the same group, if played at Mount Smart would get double the attendance of Australia 08......maybe even more.

30,000 turned up for the Fiji, scotland and france group games.....play these at the AMI stadium in christchurch (36k capacity). As I have yet to get south, I can't speak for the RL fans down there, but if 19k turned up for the wendyball game and 22k for the souths v warriors, I would think that getting more than 30,000 for that group wouldn't take too much.

As for the super group, Oz v NZ game played at Eden and England v NZ the cake tin.......and maybe PNG V England in rotarua, England v Australia in Taranaki and Aus v PNG in Cristchurch.
No reason to think that the attendances would be any lower than they were in australia.

NZRL are still licking its wounds after its savaging from teh NZ Govt. They have to get their house in order before we can entrust a WC to them. If money wasn;t the issue I'd love to see a Pacific hosting, NZ, PNG and Fiji.

If they do co host I hope they sort the fixtures so fans aren't having to fly backwards and forwards.