RUGBY: GERRY THORNLEYtalks to the man leading New Zealand's World Cup effort about ticket sales and where to stay once you get there

MARTIN SNEDDON, chief executive of World Cup organisers Rugby New Zealand 2011 Ltd, comes across as an easy-going, laconic Kiwi. Which is perhaps just as well.

Trying to flog 1.6 million tickets as a global recession bites harder with each passing week for a World Cup in New Zealand still nine months away, and amid documented cases of rogue hotels grossly over-charging for the latter stages, has to rank as a hard sell.

But the message he is determined to convey is that the first tranche of tickets is selling on target, and that rogue hotels – some endeavouring to charge €500 a night for the last week or two of the tournament – will be exposed. And he promises a variety of alternative accommodation for visitors.

All told, the World Cup organisers and the IRB have 1.6 million tickets, and between them the board and RNZ 2011 Ltd have sold about 650,000. A further 100,000-plus have been sold by the IRB through their travel agents. The Australians (up to 30,000) will be the most numerous visitors.

Even to achieve the projected loss of almost €20 million, the organisers need to sell all the tickets, and given the recession that will be a hard slog right up to and including the tournament.

“I’m worried about from now on,” admits Sneddon, “because the ticketing challenge would be a bit like Ireland hosting the Rugby World Cup. You’ve only got a population of four million as well.

“We’ve got to keep selling and selling and selling and selling right to the end. Half-way through it, it’s going exactly as we hoped, but we’ve got to do the other part now.”

To that end, Sneddon has begun an offensive on his home market – which he concedes can be a tad All Blacks-obsessed – to buy into the World Cup in a more holistic way, ie, that playing host is more important than the All Blacks.

Sneddon maintains ticket sales, thus far only for the pool stages and quarter-finals (semi-finals and final tickets go on sale early next year), are on schedule.

A RNZ 2011 Ltd survey to be published in a fortnight will show where the tickets have been sold, but Sneddon reckons Irish sales are around 5,000, about the same as English sales. France have hit the 10,000 mark.

Ireland’s marque pool game is against Australia in Eden Park, which will have an increased capacity (from 45,000 to 60,000), and is already three-quarters sold. Ireland’s final pool game, against Italy, which is liable to be decisive, will be in the new stadium in Dunedin, complete with its clear, plastic roof.

It is still under construction, “and will be finished about half-an-hour before the start of the World Cup”, quips Sneddon dryly, though with a whiff of truth.

For the first time in a World Cup, the pool winners and runners-up will know where they will end up in the quarter-finals. For example, were Ireland to progress, their quarter-final will be in Wellington, regardless of whether they win the pool or finish second.

There they would bump into the winners or runners-up of the fiendishly competitive Pool D, featuring South Africa, Wales, Samoa and Fiji.

But it means fans know where their country will be destined to play in the knock-out stages should they qualify.

Seven of the 15 venues in use during RWC 2011 have been rebuilt or redeveloped. The Eden Park redevelopment is costing NZ$240 million (€135 million), Dunedin €95 million, Christchurch €30 million, with another €30 million spent on the smaller venues such as Napier and Whangarei.

Thus, ground development alone is costing about €300 million, but this sounds like a snip in this part of the world where billions and trillions have entered our daily lexicon.

Sections of the NZ media have maintained all along that the country simply can’t afford to stage a World Cup.

“Had to do it,” says Sneddon. “Yes, we can afford it. The government has invested most of the money. That’s seven stadia, and we were going to have to do it at some stage and the Rugby World Cup has been a great incentive to do it.”

There have been horror stories from South Africa where they are considering demolishing some of the grounds developed for the World Cup, such as the Soccer Stadium in Soweto which costs an estimated €2.5 million a year to run and maintain.

“That’s the difference here, in that everything that is being done for us is business-as-usual stadia. There are no white elephants here.”

Sneddon is on a goodwill mission to Ireland, Wales and England, armed with lists containing hotel prices for each of the pool matches involving the three countries which, he says, are not cherry-picked.

For example, the nine hotels listed in Auckland for the Australia game range from NZ$565 (€322) for the Stafford Villa to NZ$40 (€23) for the Fossil Bay Lodge. However, he concedes it’s the knock-out stages which are causing an issue, and Sneddon says their media is on the look-out for the rogue hotels.

“That’s why you’re seeing them, because they’re putting it on the front pages and I’m encouraging them to do that as frequently as possible. You can embarrass them (hotels).”

RNZ 2011 Ltd have an accommodation page on their website (rugbyworldcup.com) which lists all the hotels, motels, etc, but with demand exceeding supply Sneddon’s advice is: “Don’t look for hotels for the last three weeks of the tournament. Look for the other options: motels, BBs, lodges, private homes. There’s actually some good private home rentals there now.”

He also says supporters may have to base themselves outside Auckland.

“The other thing that I think is going to happen in a big way is home hosting. I guess if I was sending a message to your fans, (it) is, don’t get too uptight if they can’t hit what they want now.

“If they get themselves out there we’ll make sure they get a bed, and I think home hosting will be a big part of it. I think that could be really good.”

Well, he hopes so anyway.

World Cup by numbers . . .

RNZ 2011 Ltd is jointly owned by the New Zealand government and the NZRU, and is running the tournament at a projected loss of $39 million (roughly €19.5 million), of which two-thirds has been incurred by the government.

Estimated number of foreign visitors to France for 2007 World Cup: 300,000-400,000.

Estimated number of foreign visitors to New Zealand for 2011 World Cup: 60,000-70,000.

Estimated number of visitors to Auckland for semi-finals and final weekends: 40,000.

Number of hotel rooms: 25,000 (plus 5,000 berths on three cruise ships).

Number of tickets for RWC 2011: 1.6 million.

Estimated number sold so far: 750,000.