Canberra won’t get a game featuring the Wallabies (pictured above, hosting the Pumas) in 2027 but will we host any World Cup games? Photo: Jack Mohr.
A fascinating standoff is taking place at the moment over the placement of games for the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup.
Canberra, one of only four cities in Australia boasting a team in Super Rugby and a region considered one of the heartlands of the code in this country, is in danger of missing out on hosting World Cup games.
The sticking point is the cost demanded by the organisers to host games compared with the money the ACT Government is prepared to stump up to secure the matches.
The four-game package on offer to the ACT Government won’t feature blockbusters such as the All Blacks taking on the Wallabies.
Instead, it will be pool games, for the most part involving minor rugby nations.
Already locked in, it would appear, are Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, while there is heightened speculation in Newcastle that the city will also be hosting four games.
As the fallout from the Rebels demise, Melbourne won’t be hosting any games.
The worry for the ACT is that non-rugby centres, such as Newcastle, have shown a greater desire to host games, while Townsville has also moved ahead of Canberra with the Wallabies playing Argentina in the North Queensland city in September.
The ACT Government, as it has done in the past, will base much of the value of paying to secure sport on visitor numbers and economic benefits to the city.
This is why the ACT Government opted not to bid for games in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
What counts is the number of people who would visit Canberra to watch games not involving the Australian team.
In the end, it was decided the asking price was too high for the potential value anticipated.
I supported this stance before the Women’s World Cup, but in hindsight, the Women’s World Cup generated such momentum on the back of the Matildas’ success that it had the potential to be an economic positive for Canberra.
Part of my argument was that sports organisations claim that the ACT is a vital area for the development of their sport, yet when push comes to shove, sports organisations demand big money to underwrite their events.
This is why I am a strident critic of the money paid to secure GWS games in Canberra.
There is, of course, a downside to not being a competitive bidder for major sports events and that is the city runs the risk of being labelled a no-go zone for international and major sports competitions.
The hope is that a compromise can be found to ensure Canberra doesn’t miss out on securing Rugby World Cup games in 2027.
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