Scrutiny of Cup tenders

Press, 5 August 1985, Page 26

Scrutiny of Cup tenders

By

CHRIS PETERS

NZPA staff correspondent

Millions of dollars worth of tenders for staging the inaugural rugby World Cup in 1987 will get a second scrutiny by a special committee set up by the organisers.

Rugby top brass from both sides of the Tasman are not satisfied with everything the tenderers have proposed, and established a special sub-committee to examine them again and go back to the prospective promoters for any clarification.

While the International Rugby Board is expected to announce next week the 16 nations to be invited to the Cup, which will be played for on both sides of the Tasman, it has not bothered giving the list to the Australian and New Zealand organisers for study. The Australian Rugby Union’s executive director, Mr John Dedrick, rejected any suggestion of a snub by

the world body, and said it was simply a matter of security.

He also denied that the South African Rugby Board’s declared intention to stage a rival, and probably professional, world tournament the same year had been discussed, in spite of a series of reports last week suggesting the South African set-up could spell the end of amateurism in the code.

Speaking after the meeting ended in Sydney on Saturday, Mr Dedrick said the areas discussed by the committee, which included five members of the New Zealand Rugby Union’s council, were tiie tenders and questions of tournament format and rules. He would not be drawn on what areas of the tenders the World Cup organising committee wanted run back through the promoters, but indicated there were various areas to be discussed.