Earthquake-devastated Chris-tchurch was yesterday stripped of all its 2011 Rugby World Cup matches, with its quarter-finals moved to Auckland.
“It is with sincere regret that I have to announce that the stakeholders have agreed that all the 2011 Rugby World Cup games scheduled to be played through Christchurch are to be moved,” Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully said.
The city’s AMI Stadium and pitch were badly damaged by the 6.3-magnitude quake that hit on February 22, claiming an estimated 180 lives.
McCully said the government had hoped New Zealand’s second-biggest city could take part in the largest event ever staged in the country but the scale of damage meant it was not feasible.
Christchurch was an anchor venue for the showpiece tournament, which kicks off on September 9, with the South Island city scheduled to host five pool matches and two quarter-finals.
No decision has been made yet on where the group matches will be played but Eden Park in Auckland will now host the quarter-finals on October 8 and 9. Wellington hosts the other two last eight clashes.
“Eden Park was the only logical alternative to stage two of the tournament’s premier matches given the ground capacity and visitor accommodation demands associated with these quarter-final matches,” said Rugby New Zealand chief Martin Snedden.
“We are working hard to ensure as many pool matches as reasonably possible remain in the South Island.
“A key consideration in all of this is to reschedule matches in a way that minimises the impact on other matches and therefore causes the least disruption to existing arrangements for teams and travelling.”
International Rugby Board chairman Bernard Lapasset, who made the announcement alongside McCully, said the stadium operators could not guarantee that the extensive repairs could be made in time.
“That information means that tournament partners have been left with no choice but to make the difficult decision to re-allocate the seven matches due to be played in Christchurch,” he said.
“This has been a hard decision for all involved, given the place of Canterbury in New Zealand Rugby and the tremendous enthusiasm and support that the people of Christchurch have displayed for RWC 2011.”
Among concerns raised were the complexity of the repair work – including a full replacement of the playing surface – the availability of resources and labour, and the danger of aftershocks.
“We have explored every option but unfortunately there is no guarantee, with just 25 weeks until kick-off, that the stadium and key tournament infrastructure will be ready in time,” Lapasset said.