The Pacific Islands' World Cup

Auckland's already congested transport system came to a shuddering halt yesterday and there was dancing on the motorways as Tongans turned out in their thousands to welcome their rugby world cup squad to New Zealand. The team responded to a rapturous reception at Auckland airport by performing a 'haka':

It followed a similar display from the Samoans when they arrived earlier:

With so much local community support for the Pacific Island teams there's every chance that Tonga , buoyed by the support of their fans will shake up the ABs at the opening match of the tournament.

It should  all start with the Tongan challenge that usually  puts the AB's choreographed, sometime prosaic, Ka Mate in the shade (please, no Kapa o Pango there are children watching)

Unfortunately there is talk of the Tongans holding back from performing their sipi tau, a form of the Kailao, because of the face-off it caused with the All Blacks at the 2003 world cup (below)

Not a chance, we don't see that happening, this is just pre-match psychology: ensuring that the grateful  crowd is sure to erupt with joy if they do perform it.

Pacific Island leaders are already in the country attending their forum, which was very neatly arranged to end just as the tournament begins and we're waiting to see who will be the 'mystery NZ sporting legend' putting in an a appearance at the RWC opening ceremony (how many internationally recognized celebs does NZ have, even of the sporting variety?)

In common with many latter-day NZ celebs he has been given name suppression, but whisperers say it's Jonah Lomu - a famous Tongan sporting celeb, who used to play for the All Blacks.
The Sydney Morning Herald commented

An estimated 7,000 New Zealand-based Tongans mobbed the team, making this tournament seem even more like a Pacific Islands World Cup.

Reminding us all that New Zealand, which often tries to place itself an influential player on the world stage, is still firmly part of the Pacific Island community.

You may also be interested in

Song: Sipi Tau

Tonga College students performing a kailao for the King's 70th birthday (1988)
Tongan

ʻEi e!, ʻEi ē!

Teu lea pea tala ki mamani katoa

Ko e ʻIkale Tahi kuo halofia.

Ke ʻilo ʻe he sola mo e taka

Ko e ʻaho ni te u tamate tangata,

ʻA e haafe mo e tautuaʻa

Kuo huʻi hoku anga tangata.

He! he! ʻEi ē! Tū.

Te u peluki e molo mo e foueti taka,

Pea ngungu mo ha loto fitaʻa

Te u inu e ʻoseni, pea kana mo e afi

Keu mate ai he ko hoku loto.

Ko Tonga pe mate ki he moto

Ko Tonga pe mate ki he moto.

Ko Tonga

English Translation by Sione Ngahe

Aye, ay! Aye, ay!

I shall speak to the whole world

The Sea Eagles is famished unfurl.

Let the foreigner and sojourner beware

Today, destroyer of souls, I am everywhere

To the halfback and backs

Gone has my humanness.

Hey! hey! Aye ay! Zap.

Maul and loose forwards shall I mow

And crunch any fierce hearts you know

Ocean I drink, fire I dine

To death or victory my will is fine.

That's how Tonga dies to her motto

To her motto Tonga gives all.

source Wikipedia

Today's posts - click here

Rugby World Cup Visitors To Be "Spammed"

Visitors to the New Zealand rugby world cup are to be “spammed” with enticements to come back and live, work or play in New Zealand, according to a report in today’s Dom Post

Rugby World Cup visitors will be spammed by the Government in an effort to entice skilled migrants to New Zealand’s “exciting, vibrant and healthy” way of life.
Passenger arrivals cards, which must be filled in by everyone arriving at any entrance port, have been amended to include the question: “Are you here for the Rugby World Cup?”
Under a Labour Department proposal, visitors who answer “yes” – and whose occupations are on the list of skills shortages – will receive marketing material, including emails encouraging them to migrate….

For more about “New Zealand’s exciting, vibrant and healthy way of life” read some of our Facts and Stats pages and Migrants Tales.

The report goes on to say that fans will be told to sign up to a promotional website called New Zealand Now, apparently it “extols our “unique lifestyle” and offers assistance and information about migration.“

There is also a $67,000 advertising campaign (no expense spared here!) that will aimed at skilled workers on holiday. This will result in strategically placed fliers (on recycled paper, we hope) and immigration ads in world cup publications and around the net.

Want to express an interest, or find out more about migrating to New Zealand? Here’s the first catch

“Information given on arrival cards would be used “over the longer term” to market New Zealand opportunities, including targeting people with occupations for which New Zealand has significant shortages..”

Once you’re on the database you’re likely to be hounded with information for ever more. We’re hoping that people will be able to de-register their interest when the time comes. There is a privacy issue here too: once your details on on the database who will have access to them, will you be able to ask for them to be removed?

“A Labour Department spokesman said possible privacy implications of using people’s personal information were being discussed with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. “

We hope they get that one sorted out before the first registrations start coming in, the cup kicks off next month.

Who are the people most likely to be ‘spammed’? According to the Dom Post’s report:

“Those who might expect to be targeted include engineers, surveyors, regional planners, early childhood and secondary school teachers, anaesthetists, audiologists, midwives, social workers, IT staff, chefs, mechanics, ship captains and film animators.”… more here

Which is an interesting list, some of those occupations are notoriously difficult to get in to, even for New Zealanders. Some require specific New Zealand experience and/or expensive and time consuming registration processes  before one can work in that profession in New Zealand (read our Migrants Tales to see why) Take a look at the official registration requirements here 

If NZ immigration is so keen to bring in skilled professionals to fill genuine shortages why aren’t they paying registration fees for them? They could be refunded to an applicant if their SMC application is successful. More importantly do the job vacancies actually exist or is this just a revenue raising exercise?

Here’s the second catch: Last month the NZ immigration service made changes to the requirements of the Skilled Migrant Category. (Thanks to Moonlight and P Ray for the head’s up)

The changes include the following restrictions

• English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) qualifications will no longer meet the criteria for qualification points.

• Applicants who are in New Zealand and hold, or have held, Study to Work visas will no longer be eligible for a SMC Job Search Visa.

• Applicants with qualifications in an area of absolute skill shortage will no longer be able to automatically obtain residence without skilled employment.

• Settlement and contribution criteria will be weighted towards skilled employment.

• Partners and/or children of SMC Job Search Visas holders will no longer be automatically eligible for temporary visas related to the holder’s work visa.

It seems strange that immigration is tightening up on skilled migrant requirements, possibly because the jobs aren’t out there for immigrants (unemployment is still at 6.5%) whilst actively encouraging people to emigrate to New Zealand.

Read one of our Migrants Tales “No science or skills shortages in New Zealand” to get a feel for the opportunities that are really out there. Then do your own research before signing up to anything.

Today's posts - click here

England Rugby Strip Goes All Black For Away Matches

Artist impression of the new shirt

Englands rugby team today struck a blow at the heart of a nation's collective national identity by announcing that the jersey for its away team will change to black.

The decision is sure to unnerve New Zealand who have adopted black as the unofficial national colour ever since a British journalist coined the name "All Blacks" in the early part of the last century. Black now forms the underlying theme of New Zealand's Nation Branding, and not just for its sports teams (Black Sticks, Tall Blacks etc.) It now adorns everything from passports to baby clothes.

One major problem with this adherence to image is the sense of confusion and loss when someone else takes a part of it as their own. It gives England a significant psychological advantage and is a brilliant move on their part.

The story was broken by the UK's Daily Mail

"The England rugby team will wear an all black strip when they kick off their World Cup campaign against Argentina in New Zealand.

The decision to wear the new 'away' strip for their opening pool match in Dunedin on September 10 is certain to ruffle a few Kiwi feathers and could even spark a diplomatic row with the host nation before a ball has been kicked.

Both the shirt and the shorts of the new strip are jet black with no other colour except for the Red Rose badge..."

A diplomatic row over something as ubiquitous as a colour, surely not? A country can't own a colour. Can it?

The Mail goes on to say that the strip will be worn for England's warm ups and opening match against Argentina. Intriguingly, the shirt will also display Maori symbols and decorations, presumably with the consent and the blessing of the iwi concerned. Nobody wants a repeat of the furore over the Mike Tyson tattoo, do they?

In the unlikely event that New Zealand should meet England in the field of battle the English team say they will revert to wearing their traditional white shirts.

No word yet as to whether the new 'all blacks' will be performing their own haka, or whether they'll go for something more exciting.

Game on!

Related stories:

All Black fans sore losers at Carisbrook stadium, Dunedin

"French players are surprised and disappointed at the behaviour of Dunedin rugby fans who pelted them with bottles following last Saturday's Test defeat of the All Blacks .

A spokesman said the team has laid no complaint with New Zealand or Otago Rugby Football Union (ORU) officials but lock Sebastien Chabal and first five-eighth Francois Trinh-Duc on Wednesday said the players were stunned to have to dodge missiles as they celebrated their 27-22 first Test win.

As a team they lapped Carisbrook to show their appreciation to French supporters, only to be showered with plastic bottles - most of them full or half-full - by the crowd on the terrace, which featured large numbers of students. Some players reportedly had to duck or jump to avoid being hit..."more here

Fans throwing bottles during Mexican Wave, Dunedin, June 2010

Rugby fans in danger of attacks on Karangahape 'K' Road in Auckland.

The Auckland Tramways Union says the $2 million upgrade of bus stops along the city's Karangahape Road for the Rugby World Cup will lead to more assaults.

The union says a two-metre space between the upgraded shelters and motorway barrier will mean people can hide behind them and lie in wait for passengers, bus drivers or pedestrians. source

You may also like:

12 Recipes From the Nation Branding Cookbook

10) Visuals.

"In order to help build an image, a country needs to be coherent in its visuals: from the flag to the colors of the sports teams, from stamps to banknotes, from passports to road signs. A country should find and keep a consistent look & feel in shapes, color schemes and typographies. Identify a national visual identity and color palette and dress with it. Almost always."

Only The All Blacks Can Wear Black With Pride?: John Key carelessly snubs other NZ national sporting teams


Today's posts - click here

NZ “Not As Squeaky Clean As People May Perceive”

 1981 Springbok tour, dark days for NZ

The Rugby World Cup is very likely to become a focus for civil disobedience among NZ protest groups who are threatening civil disobedience and the flour bombing of matches.

“…Groups protesting against Government economic policies are proposing “civil disobedience” to disrupt the Rugby World Cup – possibly including flour-bombing Eden Park.

The protesters, including unions and church groups, plan to march up Queen St in Auckland from noon tomorrow against last week’s Budget cuts to KiwiSaver, family tax credits and public services and state asset sales.

Spokesman Meredydd Barrar of the newly formed Coalition for Social Justice said the groups also “intend to take action during the World Cup to alert the world that New Zealand is not as squeaky clean as people might perceive. We might have to flour-bomb Eden Park again,” he said.

Anti-apartheid protesters famously dropped bags of flour over the stadium from a plane during the final test of the Springbok rugby tour in 1981…” read the rest in The Herald

During the 1981 Springbok tour ("The Flour Bomb Test") Eden Park was peppered with flour bombs and flares dropped from a low flying Cessna. All Black prop Gary Knight was knocked to the ground by a flour bomb. Outside the ground violence erupted on a grand scale.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkZMIySG75c]

In Hamilton the match against Waikato was called off in front of a full house after a pitch invasion by several hundred anti-tour protestors, and rumours that a light aircraft had been stolen from Taupo and was headed for Rugby Park. (source)

New Zealand Exposed

Among the people threatening to disrupt the tournament are Maori activists Titewhai Harawira and Ngaire Te Hira. In February they announced they were going to use the Rugby World Cup to "expose" New Zealand's treatment of Maori.

Titewhai Harawira was reported as saying

"We are going to use the international media to expose what is going on in this country," she told the Sunday Star-Times.

"I want to be telling international media that all those reports they get that say we are well looked after and our land is intact are rubbish. We are going to be talking to the international media, absolutely."

Harawira said she hoped to provide visitors with a "whole chronology of what has happened in this country".

"I will talk about how legislation has taken away and denied us," she said. "We have time to put it all together, hand it out and talk about it." read more here

Unite Union is running a campaign for a $15 an hour ($12 US) minimum wage and is says it "plans to use activities around the Rugby World Cup to press hard for the significant increase in the minimum wage."

Of course getting the truth out about New Zealand is nothing new.

There are people who have been exposing the truth about New Zealand for many years. A group of expatriates set up a website called Expatexposed.com to draw attention to the raw deals that migrants get in New Zealand. Many of its members were taken-in by misleading marketing and the promises of work and higher living standards that never materialised.

You may also be interested in

Adios, No Mexican Wave For English Fans At Dunedin RWC Matches - "The Mexican Wave is going to be banned at all RWC matches at Dunedin’s soon to be completed 30,000 seat stadium..."

Eden Park Four Nations – “Disgraceful” Behaviour Slammed - "Alcohol fuelled mayhem at last night’s Four Nation’s match at Eden Park. Read Drunken fans marr Eden Park’s Four Nations..."

“NZ: 100% Pure Rip-Off” - "Oh dear, bet the guys who coined the “100% Pure NZ” are cringing right now. It will be interesting to see how well the brand’s image survives this latest onslaught on the slogan that lends itself so easily to abuse. It is currently being used to highlight how expensive New Zealand has become. It all started with an article in the NZ Herald under the header “NZ: 100% Pure Rip-off. Rip off New Zealand?” written by Peter Bills, an international writer for Independent News & Media."

Our very popular Migrants Tales series and NZ Facts and Stats pages

Today's posts - click here

Eden Park Four Nations – “Disgraceful” Behaviour Slammed

Earlier today we wrote about the alcohol fuelled mayhem at last night’s Four Nation’s match at Eden Park. Read Drunken fans marr Eden Park’s Four Nations

This is a video of one of the bottle throwing incidents at the match, it appeared on YouTube today

“Eden Park November 6th. New Zealand V Australia. Unfortunately when the convicts took a convincing lead half way through the second half, the crowd went feral, chucking bottles and everything onto lower bays and the field. This was about the fourth time around, so most of the f-wits had exhausted their supply of missiles, but as you can see, they were still throwing quite a lot of stuff. It was like being at a Canterbury Bulldogs match.”

League Ambassador Sir Peter Leitch is reported to have criticised security staff for not being quicker to deal with “rowdy people”

Fights and bottle-throwing at last night’s league test has brought criticism of fans and security this morning.
The match between the Kiwis and the Australian league teams was a rehearsal for next year’s Rugby World Cup.
League Ambassador Sir Peter Leitch has criticised security staff, saying they should have acted quicker and thrown rowdy people out. He’s also taken a swing at the fans. “I was appalled at the behaviour” He told Newstalk ZB “people who threw bottles, be they plastic bottles, disgrace. Very disappointing.”
He says the behaviour put the game into disrepute.

Perhaps the consumption of alcohol on sale at the match and its ‘delivery system’ (bottles) was more to blame than the security staff. Look at the video – it’s hard to see how staff could’ve stopped the bottle throwing.

Comments left on this YouTube video

“therealgamerman64
“The crowd was a disgrace. There was no way the security could stop everyone from acting like they did. It was terrible! Check out all those bottles! That Mexican wave of doom went around 3 times. I was seeing little kids get nailed in the head by half full bottles of beer.”
Usag1Yoj1mbo
“Until alcohol is banned from sporting events, I will never take my kids to watch these games. Atre you there to watch 2 teams of athletes play or get pissed, start a fight and injure an elderly fan with a half full bottle of beer.
New Zealand supporters are disgusting, oafish animals.”

 
Today's posts - click here

Drunken Kiwi Fans Marr Eden Park's Four Nations

Today’s Herald is reporting that drunken league fans marred last night’s Four Nations match between the Kiwis and Australia at Eden Park, when hails of beer bottles rained on to the pitch.

This is but one of the  consequences of selling alcohol in bottles -sooner or later drunk people are going to use them as missiles and even plastic ones have the potential to cause injury, someone should have ‘seen this coming.’

Booze-charged rugby league fans threw bottles on to Eden Park and booed during last night’s Four Nations clash between the Kiwis and Australia.
Six people were arrested inside the ground for disorder related behaviour.
New Zealand Rugby League chief Jim Doyle said he was disappointed in fans’ behaviour but he believed Eden Park management would have learnt a lot from last night’s test…
…Meanwhile, the roads around Eden Park became chaotic when cars tried to merge with pedestrians after the match. Roads were closed to ensure fans got into the park smoothly, a key aspect of the planning for the RWC. Read more here (link opens in new window)

The Sunday Star Times adds the following information

“RUGBY LEAGUE’S foray into Eden Park ended in disgrace with a bottle thrown at an Australian player and ugly scenes of crowd unrest which led to numerous arrests in Auckland last night.
As an early dress rehearsal for the rugby world cup, which will conclude at the same venue in less than a year, the double-header league match (England v Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand v Australia) was logistically successful but the crowd misbehaviour tarnished the event.
A bottle was thrown at Australian captain Cameron Smith as he lined up a kick at goal and the game was briefly halted after bottles were hurled during a Mexican wave. More here

But the situation is likely to occur again during the Rugby World Cup next year.

Some elements of the crowd could be heard booing during the Australian national anthem, Prime Minister John Key was disappointed at the “loutish behaviour”

“We’re disappointed at some of the loutish behaviour last night and hope it won’t transfer over to the Rugby World Cup,
At the end of the day people are going to pay a lot for Rugby World Cup tickets and they’ve got to realise if they engage in that sort of behaviour their actions are going to be taken seriously and they will be tossed out. “[Internationally] it’s not a good look.” source

The shameful behaviour also attracted international attention, this from LeagueFreak.com:

One other things from this game, the crowd behaviour was terrible. Bottles were thrown on the field (One apparently hit Petero Civoniceva  in the back) (ed. an Australian), people ran onto the playing surface….just ridiculous stuff in this day and age.

You may remember our blog Price gouging and cleaning up at the rugby world cup written in May.  In that blog we said:

Beer to be sold in cans despite opposition from police.
“Be sure to pack a hard hat and body armour if you’re attending any matches in New Zealand. If you’re playing on the pitch you’d better learn to duck:

“Police pushed for beer to be served in plastic cups to minimise the risk of them being used as missiles by intoxicated fans, but it is understood there was also opposition to that from principal sponsor, Heineken…
“arranging tap beer facilities would have been costly for 9 of the 13 stadia which didn’t already have such facilities.” source*

Score so far: Sponsors 1, Police 0.”

If this can’t be controlled at Eden Park, what hope is there for the regional stadia?

Perhaps it’s time to put aside the interests of the principal sponsors and get tap beer facilities into every stadium asap.

*unfortunately that link is no longer active as the article has been withdrawn, however it is discussed on the forum at UAFC.co.uk

“RWC fans trusted to behave with beer cans
Rugby World Cup organisers have settled on a deal to allow beer to be served in cans at matches during the tournament, despite initial opposition from police and Police Minister Judith Collins.
Police pushed for beer to be served in plastic cups to minimise the risk of them being used as missiles by intoxicated fans, but it is understood there was also opposition to that from principal sponsor, Heineken.
Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully told Radio New Zealand the stakeholders in next year’s tournament had discussed the issue of how to serve beer, and tried to “steer a middle course” while allowing for cans to be served.
The way forward was to put some trust in people who would be paying a lot of money for tickets, and give police the capacity to deal with the minority who may step out of line.
Mr McCully said arranging tap beer facilities would have been costly for nine of the 13 stadia which didn’t already have such facilities.
He was confident fans would want to make the most of a unique experience in attending rugby World Cup matches and not risk being thrown out because of intoxicated behaviour.
If fans did step out of line, police would have enhanced capability to deal with them, he said.
Ms Collins said she had considered the proposal to allow the sale of beer in cans and was now comfortable with the arrangement.

Is Mr McCully still feeling confident?

A poster on the UAFC forum hinted at a possible solution:

Re: Watching rugby in New Zealand not all it’s cracked up to be

by mikerob » Tue Mar 30, 2010 3:39 pm

IMO the RWC in NZ is bit of a waste of time… won’t make money or develop the game globally… but at least you can get beer. In France 2007, they only had alcohol free drinks in and around the grounds.

 Catch an update to this story and video here
Today's posts - click here

2011 World Cup Fans May Be Based In Sydney - "Kiwi Cup Rip-Off"

William Webb Ellis Cup

The Australian Daily Telegraph (see below) is reporting that many sporting tour groups from Britain and Australia are thinking about basing themselves in Sydney for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The decision to stay in Sydney has been brought about by reports of NZ accommodation providers' extortionate price gouging. See our article "Price Gouging and Cleaning Up, the Rugby World Cup" for background.

Rugby World Cup accommodation prices in NZ are so steep that the country's NZ Rugby World Cup Minister has actually been asked to tell hotels to tone it down, some of them have tariffs  700-1,000% more than the usual rates for the fortnight of the tournament.

A 10 night minimum booking at the Auckland Hilton will put the average punter back a whopping $17,000, for a room "the size of a prison cell." (well, NZ prisons are said to be like luxury hotels) $17 grand! that's enough to buy a VW combo (that can be sold off later) and still have change for business class air fares and a night out at the pub.

We don't blame the supporters for wanting to stay in Sydney - the climate is better, there's far wider range of good quality accommodation and entertainment options and they're less likely to get ripped off for it all. Even with flights over to NZ to pay for it will work out a whole lot cheaper, and probably more pleasant, than staying in NZ.

Our regular readers will remember last September's  Springbok Tour who opted to stay in Brisbane, Australia and enjoy the amenities of the Gold Coast, rather than stay over in "boring Hamilton". Coach Peter de Villiers was concerned  his players would suffer from apathy as “there is nothing in Hamilton”. The town's Mayor, obviously offended,  retorted with "To be honest, if the Springboks were in the streets of Hamilton they probably wouldn’t feel that welcome anyway.”

The following day the Hamilton PR effort bounced back and Waikato Rugby Union chief executive Graham Bowen tried to promote attractions such as the Waitomo caves (much loved by David Attenborough) Raglan’s surf breaks and Rotorua, about an hour and a half away.
Anyway, back to what the Australian Telegraph had to say

"Kiwi Cup Rip-Off
NEW Zealand's Rugby World Cup minister has asked hotels to tone down the price gouging after tournament organisers continue to be embarrassed by accommodation rorts and mark-ups.
Sporting tour groups from Britain and Australia are considering basing themselves in Sydney for the 2011 World Cup given the exorbitant prices being charged for rooms in New Zealand during the tournament, particularly the finals in Auckland.
With a shortage of hotels, many have upped their rates by 700-1000 per cent for the finals fortnight and set down a minimum stay of a week or longer.
A room in the Auckland Hilton - normally $344 a night - is going for $1700 per night at a minimum 10-night booking, totalling a whopping $17,000.
And that's for what a front-page report in the New Zealand Herald last week described as a room the "size of a prison cell". Numerous other examples of hotel price gouging abound, but it's emerged bed & breakfasts and private house owners are now also getting in on the act.
A B&B near Eden Park, where the finals will be played, was in the news for asking $1600 per night during the finals. Private homes in Auckland are being advertised for as much as $7000 a week.
NZ's World Cup minister, Murray McCully, last week wrote to New Zealand's Hotel Association, asking its members to find balance between charging a reasonable premium during the tournament but not trashing the country's tourism reputation.
"It is not acceptable for anyone to rort the system - and I'm simply asking people to understand the difference between charging a premium and doing something that is extortionist and harmful to New Zealand's reputation from a tourism point of view," McCully wrote.
The minister said he was confident most hotels would abide but "one or two need to be persuaded".

That sounds rather ominous, will he be sending the boys in black round?

"It's not just Auckland hotels marking up their prices. Rooms as far as away as Queenstown - normally $255 a night - are being offered for $940 a night.
A room in the modest Ibis hotel in Hamilton, a 90-minute drive from Auckland, can be booked for as little for $77 per night, but during the World Cup finals it will cost $770.
Some angry Auckland hoteliers are refusing to join in the gouging.
The owners of the Kiwi international hotel in Auckland will charge no more $200 a night for their rooms, up from a regular rate of $89 but well short of the drastic mark-ups elsewhere.
"It's just ridiculous," the hotel's owner told the New Zealand Herald. "I think it's criminal and not only that, how does it make New Zealanders look?"

Price gouging, or just capitalism in action?  Fortunately Rugby fans are canny consumers and will be looking for the best-value all-round deals they can find. If they find them across the Tasman from New Zealand, Kiwis will only have themselves to blame - it's a free world.

Many New Zealanders have already said that they will only attend a match if it's local to them - only 12% of Kiwis said they intend going to a game and of those only 5% are intending to travel to it. Most of them to the 4 major towns/cities of Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton and Christchurch. They're canny consumers too and simply don't have the spare cash to get ripped off by their fellow countrymen.

Back in March Australia's We Love Rugby issued a press release slamming price gouging in New Zealand, saying that attendances could suffer as a result:

"Attendances at the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand could be the lowest ever for international fans with Australia's largest rugby tour operator; We Love Rugby today refuting claims from the Hospitality Association of New Zealand's Bruce Robertson that fears surrounding hotel rates during the 2011 Rugby World Cup were an "Australian beat up... "We have all seen what has happened at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa where tourists are staying away in droves against a backlash of high hotel and transport prices. We saw it at the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies as well.

If this price gouging farce continues the 2011 Rugby World Cup is going to be nothing more than a damp squib, which will be a travesty - for the game, for the people who want to support it and for the many small businesses hoping to make a honest dollar from the event.
For all our 2011 Rugby World Cup related articles click HERE
Today's posts - click here