Rugby: Australia - 'We never wanted to go it alone'

The Australian Rugby Union have hit back at damaging accusations from New Zealand by denying they ever wanted to host the World Cup alone.

ARU officials are due to present their final proposals for staging the event to the Rugby World Cup committee on Friday.

A decision on the suitability of the plans is set to be taken in Dublin on April 12, with the final outcome being announced the following week after a full meeting of the International Rugby Board.

New Zealand Rugby Football Union chairman Murray McCaw has already threatened legal action unless his country are reinstated as co-hosts, with Kiwi government officers frantically trying to resolve the problems of providing ‘clean’ stadiums for next autumn’s showpiece.

New Zealand were controversially ditched as co-hosts earlier this month after amendments they made to official documents proved unacceptable to RWCL.

Having failed to provide a guarantee that all stadiums for their half of the tournament would be free of pre-existing sponsorship deals, RWCL embarrassingly cancelled the scheduled announcement of the draw in Sydney, axed New Zealand as co-hosts and asked Australia to provide an alternative strategy for staging all 48 matches.

‘‘It has been alleged that the ARU has sought for some time to strip the NZRFU of the tournament,’’ said Tuckey. ‘‘This allegation is without any foundation.’’