Wednesday, 23 February 2011

RWC organisers assess Christchurch

Rugby New Zealand 2011 chief executive Martin Snedden says his World Cup organising committee will be evaluating Christchurch's ability to stage matches during the event in the wake of the deadly earthquake that hit the city.More than 75 people have been killed by the 6.3 magnitude quake with many more people still trapped in collapsed buildings.
The city's Lancaster Park stadium is due to stage seven Rugby World Cup matches this year, comprising five pool games and two quarter-finals.
England are due to visit Christchurch for two matches, against Argentina on September 10 and against Georgia eight days later.
Scotland are also scheduled to have a match in the city, facing the Pumas on September 25.
There were no reports yesterday of damage to the stadium, which is used by the Crusaders Super Rugby outfit, but Snedden said in a statement: "It is too early to talk in any detail about implications for the tournament in Christchurch and any assessment by us must wait while the rescue efforts take priority.
"The next step will involve our organisation leading a thorough process of assessing the city's ability to host the seven RWC 2011 matches scheduled to take place there.
"This will involve an assessment of all the key RWC 2011 infrastructure of the city including the stadium, hotels, training facilities and the transport network.
"A detailed evaluation of this nature will take place as soon as is reasonably possible. We are mindful of the pressure the people of Christchurch are under right now and do not want to place any more demands on them.
"Christchurch is a proud rugby city with a rich rugby heritage and we know the tournament means a lot to fans there. We are hopeful a clearer picture will emerge in the coming days to allow us to make the right decisions."

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