World Cup Diary

A World Cup miscellany

Captains of Industry: Former World Cup winners get a head start for the future

THE CAPTAIN who lifts the World Cup in two days may get a head start for life post-rugby as professionalism leaves players with less time to prepare for a career after sport.

New Zealand’s Richie McCaw or France’s Thierry Dusautoir will become the seventh man to raise the Webb Ellis Cup at Auckland’s Eden Park. Four of their six predecessors have transferred those leadership skills to sectors including finance, publishing and consulting.

England’s Martin Johnson and South Africa’s John Smit, the last two victorious captains, still count rugby as their day job.

“The same ingredients go towards success,” said John Eales, Australia’s 1999 World Cup-winning captain. “People have a perception of your reputation and you’ll still find businesses out there who are prepared to give you a go as long as you can add value for them.”

After finishing his playing career as the most-successful Wallabies captain, Eales co-founded Mettle Group, a firm that advises businesses on corporate culture and leadership and which he sold in 2007.

Modern pros face a struggle to get the necessary qualifications and know-how to move into business once they’ve retired, observed David Kirk, who lifted the 1987 World Cup as New Zealand captain and later became chief executive officer of Fairfax Media Ltd, Australia’s second-largest newspaper publisher.

“It’s harder,” Kirk, who quit international rugby at the age of 26 to take up a Rhodes Scholarship at England’s Oxford University, said. “You can’t go into your mid-30s and then expect to pick up the sort of education and work experience that you need.”

Kirk, 51, is chairman of Australia and New Zealand cinema group Hoyts Corp and president of the New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association.

* TOBY FALETAU will set a Wales World Cup record when he runs out against Australia in today’s World Cup bronze medal match at Eden Park.

The gifted Newport Gwent Dragons backrow will make his seventh successive start in one World Cup, surpassing the previous mark of six set by Paul Thorburn, Adrian Hadley and Paul Moriarty 24 years ago.

Organisers all in the black: Revenue hits €155m target

TOURNAMENT ORGANISER Rugby New Zealand 2011 (RNZ 2011) yesterday announced it had achieved its revenue target with two matches still to be played at the seventh World Cup.

Revenue from ticket sales yesterday surpassed the €155 million target set by RNZ 2011 more than two years ago.

RNZ 2011 chairman Brian Roche said sales this week from the final tranche of tickets to Sunday’s final and today’s Bronze final had pushed revenue passed the target they had set down, with 87 per cent of available tickets now sold.

“Ticket revenue eclipses by more than 11 times the previous largest grossing event in New Zealand history; the 2005 British and Irish Lions,” said Roche. “Sunday’s sold out final alone has generated more than €29 million in revenue, twice that of the Lions’ Tour.”

* HEINEKEN IS extending its sponsorship of the World Cup to the next tournament in England during 2015 to take the beermaker’s spend on rugby since 1995 to over €100 million. The new deal announced on yesterday will be the fifth World Cup to be sponsored by the Amsterdam-based brewer.

* NEW ZEALAND appear to have one hand on the World Cup if the betting is to be believed with the All Blacks just 1/9 with Paddy Power to win the final against France on Sunday. And such is their dominance, that the 16 point handicap in the match is the biggest seen for a World Cup final in its 24 year history.

Witch hunt: Players' union blame press 'misinformation'

THE ENGLISH Rugby Players’ Association insist individual players should not be “hung out to dry” in the fall-out from England’s disappointing World Cup campaign and claimed there had been “misinformation fed into the press” which had blown various incidents out of proportion.

Martin Johnson’s side lost to France in the quarter-finals after a campaign marred by incidents of indiscipline.

RPA chief executive Damian Hopley said: “With regard to the off-field incidents that have been widely reported, there has been significant misinformation fed into the press that has compromised some of the players, and this is harmful in undermining the players’ positions.”

Meanwhile, England fullback Ben Foden has signed a new contract which will keep him at Northampton Saints until at least the summer of 2014. Foden’s previous deal was due to expire next year but the player has put pen to paper on a new deal.