Rugby World Cup 2027: Australia’s bid to ensure rugby regains popularity of yesteryear
Rugby in Australia is not in the same health it was 20 years ago and it’s time to put things right. Cue a full-blown push to bring the Rugby World Cup to Australia. Do you support the bid?
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A full-blown push to bring the 2027 Rugby World Cup to Australia is essential and can fill the eight fresh stadiums around the country that would be central to the bid.
Rugby Australia president Tim Gavin said in Tokyo that the sweet spot to lure the showpiece tournament was 2027 for all its code-changing football and economic benefits.
Former Wallaby Gavin said the magnitude of the World Cup’s power to ignite the code in the host country had hit him afresh in his first visit to the tournament since Australia’s successful hosting job in 2003.
Japanese fans are going bonkers for their unbeaten Brave Blossoms who will have a crowd of 72,000 behind them in Yokohama on Sunday when a quarter-final spot is on the line against Scotland.
“We put on a fantastic Rugby World Cup in 2003 and there is no reason we can’t do it again, bigger and better,” Gavin said.
“We have new stadiums coming on line and some fantastic rectangular grounds to watch rugby are already there.”
Gavin agreed on 2027 when asked if it was the perfect target after three consecutive World Cups in the northern hemisphere...England (2015), Japan (2019) and France (2023).
“The will is there and discussions around that at the moment so I dare say we are heading along that track,” Gavin said.
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“That’ll all come out in the future and hopefully Australia can put the right bid together.
“What I’m seeing in Japan is quite extraordinary with an extremely well-run tournament, well patronised stadiums and prefectures (states) trying to outdo each other with their hosting and I know the same can be done in Australia.
“Only the English have more supporters in Japan than the 40,000-odd Aussies following the Wallabies at this World Cup and that just shows how popular the game is at the grassroots to back our own tournament.”
Rugby Australia put a hand up in 2017 to bid for the 2027 World Cup but entering the race properly is a maze of feasibility costs and rugby politics to actually jockey into a frontrunning position.
South African rugby, after a fourth failed bid, is still in shock after being the unanimous recommendation of World Rugby for the 2023 tournament only for the savvy vote lobbying of the French to force a late backflip at the final 2017 decision.
Rugby in Australia is not in the same ruddy health it was in 2003 so the resuscitation powers for flagging coffers and the code are immensely important.
The infrastructure makeover since also means Australia would not just be throwing up a tired copycat plan of 2003 for 2027.
Expanded stadium capacity would kick the stellar 1,837,547 crowd turnout for the 48 matches in 2003 past two million in ticket options.
Perth Stadium (65,000), Adelaide Oval (53,500) and western Sydney’s impressive Bankwest Stadium (30,000) are state-of-the-art new venues while the controversial new Sydney Football Stadium (45,000) and Townsville’s North Queensland Stadium (25,000) will be hungry to showcase world events when construction is completed.
Gold Coast’s Cbus Super Stadium (27,500) and Melbourne’s AAMI Park (30,050) have also been built as rectangular footy grounds since 2003 while the upgraded Newcastle International Sports Centre (33,000) would potentially add to the World Cup venues.
Sydney’s ANZ Stadium, which drew 82,957 fans to the pulsating Australia-England final in 2003, would remain the venue for any final while Suncorp Stadium (52,500) would again be a pool and finals hub.
Melbourne’s roofed Marvel Stadium (53,000), Canberra Stadium (25,000) and Gosford’s Central Coast Stadium (20,000) would again be vying for a piece of the action while Launceston’s University of Tasmania Stadium (21,000) can always point to the 15,000 fans that turned the Romania-Namibia clash of 2003 into a highlight.