Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan is confident New Zealand Rugby (NZR) will support Australia's bid to host the 2027 Rugby World Cup despite difficulties in the relationship between the trans-Tasman rivals.
Rugby Australia expects new NZR chairman Stewart Mitchell to support their bid to host the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The Australians are bidding to hold the tournament for the first time since 2003 and are favourites ahead of competing bids from Russia and the United States, with a decision due early next year.
McLennan said the replacement of Brent Impey as NZR chairman by Stewart Mitchell should help the Australian bid.
"I'm not sure Brent would have supported us, but Stewart Mitchell is a good guy, an old school Kiwi, and I'd be disappointed if they didn't support us under his regime," McLennan told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"He's a guy who has shown his word is his bond."
Relations between the rivals have long been strained, and an initial refusal by NZR to allow the All Blacks to travel to Perth for a Rugby Championship clash against the Wallabies saw them hit a new low last month.
That came after the Australians agreed to back-to-back tests at Auckland's Eden Park, a venue the All Blacks have turned into a fortress over the last three decades, due to restrictions put in place as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
"No team has won at Eden Park since 1994, including the world champion Springboks," McLennan said.
"We did the honourable thing, but in hindsight that was a mistake, considering they pulled Perth."
That game, which had been due to be played on Aug. 28, has been rescheduled for Sunday, when the All Blacks will be aiming for a third win over the Australians having ensured the Bledisloe Cup remains in New Zealand hands for a 19th consecutive year.
"They definitely think they're superior to us," McLennan said.
"And perhaps on the field, that's currently a fair cop. But the basis of the ANZAC bloc is equal partnership and what goes around, comes around.
"If we win that will be a game changer for us and rugby in the Pacific," he said of the World Cup bid.
- Reuters
