Christchurch RWC games in jeopardy
23 Feb 2011
Seven World Cup fixtures, including two quarter-finals, to be played in Christchurch could be moved elsewhere after Tuesday’s earthquake.
These matches are scheduled to be played at Lancaster Park in September and early October but they may have to be moved because of damage to hotels, restaurants, roads and other infrastructure all over the Christchurch area.
The Wallabies planned to be based in Christchurch while England and Argentina are supposed to play two games each at Lancaster Park. The Crusaders will also have to play their Super Rugby home games at another venue because liquefaction has caused major damage to the playing surface at the stadium.
21 Comments
23 Feb 2011, 08:15 am
man proposes God or nature have other ideas
Told ya’s already enjoy this 2011 RWC cos it could very well be the last for maybe quite some time, like perhaps another 432,000 years
23 Feb 2011, 08:19 am
Tough, this close to the biggest thing to happen to NZ in a long time, events wise.
Good luck to them.
23 Feb 2011, 08:21 am
Canterbury people are resilient – they will bounce back – come on Saders win the S15 for Christchurch
23 Feb 2011, 08:21 am
SA should bid for that one although Wales will probably get it.
23 Feb 2011, 08:59 am
Tough one on the Kiwi’s , no one can plan or predict these kinda things. Good luck to em ja.
23 Feb 2011, 09:09 am
Surely where the games will be played is the last thoughts right now of people living in Christchurch?
We should all be paying some respects to some that have lost their lives in this devastating disaster.
Feel really sorry for the people of Christchurch. See on the news 75 dead and there are still many trapped in buildings that could be dead. Could be more than 300.
Our thoughts and prayers go out the people in Christchurch.
23 Feb 2011, 09:15 am
@Puma(Puma)-6:
Spot on Puma, had an email from a friend in NZ and amongst the stories he also equates the loss of 100 people in NZ to 15k in the US using population numbers. Simple way to understand the impact on the people living there.
23 Feb 2011, 09:21 am
Puma’s right, rugby is not what the quake survivors are thinking about right now. It is not important, condolences to kiwi mates and the families of those who suffered the loss of their loved ones.
23 Feb 2011, 09:23 am
@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)-7: Slarti, It looks really bad there this quake. Looked at the NZ Herald at the photos there. Looks bad buddy. Feel for the people that are in Christchurch that have lost loved ones and some have lost their homes, everything gone cause of this disaster.
23 Feb 2011, 10:18 am
The IRB had the good taste not to comment!
23 Feb 2011, 10:23 am
@Puma(Puma)-6:
Of course! The world cup is nothing compared to the devastation. Condolences to all who have lost love ones and friends – also to those who have lost everything they have owned. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
23 Feb 2011, 13:01 pm
It is great to see the rugby world showing their support in this time of tradegy
23 Feb 2011, 13:47 pm
Looks like the Saders v Canes game will be cancelled
23 Feb 2011, 14:31 pm
Late news in NZ sites is that Crusaders have called this Sat’days game against Canes off. Sounds like they’ll get 2 pts each. But all ‘Saders home games will probably have to be moved. They’re maybe talk in about playing next weeks home game against the Tahs in Sydney instead of Chch
24 Feb 2011, 01:19 am
They’ll move their games 160km south to Timaru. And Lancaster Park can be restored to perfection in about 4 to 5 months — it’ll be ready, even if work has to go ahead 24/7 . The biggest infrastructure concern is rebuilding the many big hotels in Christchurch which have been ruined and getting all those booked beds available again. More moored ocean liners docked at Lyttelton Harbour , or in the basin, might have to do. But Christchurch WILL host its RWC games — bet your house on it.
24 Feb 2011, 01:51 am
You don’t have a house Tackles, you can call your caravan a home but it is not a house…
24 Feb 2011, 06:26 am
Hope all you other Christchurch folk are safe and well. A lot of damage but no injuries so far amongst families and friends. Just a couple of people to locate.
24 Feb 2011, 06:32 am
@chch(chch)-17:
Glad to hear Chch, you are in our thoughts and prayers.
24 Feb 2011, 09:20 am
Cheers Slartibartfast. The stadium looks find from the air and outside but I guess it will be the accommodation. It would be good if we keep the games as we really need the cash from visitors now.
24 Feb 2011, 09:24 am
@chch(chch)-17: hi Chch, good to see you back here alive mate, you and all the people in Christchurch are in our prayers. all the best.
24 Feb 2011, 10:30 am
Good on you ChCh. With all the pictures of the death and destruction that has hit some unfortunate people in our city, the rest of the world doesn’t realise that there are a large number of us in CHC that have been fortunate. Like my family, perhaps only suffering the odd broken glass and a crack in the ceiling. We do however feel the hurt of those that have lost far more.
Comments from posters here are appreciated as is the appreciation that Canterbury is a proud rugby region with a strong pioneer spirit and resilence. They will bounce back and talk of moving RWC games away from CHC is premature and probably off the mark. The stadium is apparently undamaged and it does not take 200 days to remove the grey ooze left from the liquefaction so my bet is the games will go ahead on what will apparently be called Stadium Christchuch for the advert-sanitised RWC and not the ver 1 Lancaster Park / ver 2 Jade Stadium / ver 3 AMI Stadium.
Do you have on good authority that the Crusaders home games will be in Timaru, Tackles? Not a bad option but I would have thought if CHC cannot host Saders games for a while, Chris Jack and others will ensure that games go to the grounds in Blenheim and Nelson as Tasman is a brother-union to Canterbury in making up the Crusaders team.
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