Pressure group issue World Cup warning

THE International Rugby Board has been warned there is a “serious risk” of the global game “going backwards” if the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand is a commercial failure.

Tournament organisers are expecting to make a NZ$30million (€13.7m) loss on the event and the authors of hard-hitting report ‘Putting Rugby First’ fear the knock-on effects could be serious.

The report, originally published in July, criticised the IRB for failing to maximise rugby’s commercial potential and insisted a developing nation must be awarded the World Cup.