Little certainty over World Cup exodus

Rugby: After a slow initial uptake, the interest in package holidays to the Rugby World Cup in October is beginning to increase, according to the official Irish travel agency for the tournament.

The Australian Travel Centre, a part of Abbey Travel, are offering six separate packages, including the opportunity to take in other major sporting events like the Melbourne Cup (November 4th) and the International Rules Series between Ireland and Australia. Deals range from €3,450 to €7,250, while tailor-made packages are also available.

"Booking has been constant and we are expecting a further surge next month," said their marketing manager, Dermot Mulligan.

However, not all travel agencies are of the same opinion.

"It's a damp squib really, as more people will be going alone or staying with family and friends in Australia," said Dermot Ryan of Stephen's Green Sports Travel.

They are currently offering a three-week package that includes flights, accommodation and three match tickets (including the games against Argentina and Australia) for €4,900.

There is no Irish outlet to purchase tickets for the World Cup. Another 500,000 tickets go on sale in Australia between August 18th to 22nd.

Fans can only buy tickets from outlets in Australia, over the phone or through the Australian Rugby Union website at www.rugby2003.com.au.

For the Pool stages, tickets range between Aus$5 (€3) and $145 (€83), with the option to purchase family packs. In the tournament's knockout stages the cheapest tickets are $95 (€55), with costs for the final ranging from $195 (€112) to $535 (€307).

Meanwhile, the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) chief executive, John O'Neill, has accused the International Rugby Board (IRB) of lacking vision and failing to promote the game on a worldwide scale.

"I am fervently of the view that rugby has only just scratched the surface as a global game," said O'Neill, who is a front-runner for the IRB chairman position, vacant since the death of Vernon Pugh earlier this year.

"We are very strong in certain markets, clearly New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, across the four home unions and France. Then it's a bit of a scattergun approach.

"I think the IRB as the governing body of world rugby needs to develop a far more definitive and precise plan about how it is going to turn rugby into the number two football code behind soccer."

The ARU have promoted the 44-day, 48-match tournament involving 20 nations at venues across Australia as the biggest sporting event in the world this year.

"We do put our own propaganda out there saying that we are truly a global game, (but) it disguises the fact we should be doing so much better.

"We can say that rugby is played in a 128 countries in the world, but if you bore a bit deeper the numbers are really quite thin in some of those countries.

"We don't really have, at the IRB, a level of vision for where rugby should be in five years," added O'Neill.

Meanwhile, the newly formed Connaught Rugby Supporters club, set up in the wake of IRFU attempts to put an end the provinces professional status in January, will have a trade stand at next week's Galway Races.

Connacht team manager John Fallon sees it as an opportunity to get support behind the side in what promises to be their most demanding season to date due to the expanded Celtic League format.

"We are hopeful that people will join up in their droves at the Galway Races and get behind the side from the start," he said.