Experts have warned that an early exit by England from the Rugby World Cup "will cost the host nation tens of millions of pounds," according to the NEW ZEALAND HERALD. England's loss to the Welshmen at Twickenham on Sunday has "cast a pall over English sport's landscape and the doom and gloom intensified" when economic experts predicted that unless England can beat Australia this weekend, "the Cup's financial impact on the U.K. will also take a hit." The experts warn that "tens of millions of pounds will be lost in pubs, shops and even on the stock market." Exiting the RWC before the quarterfinal stages will "inflict more pain as it would also spell disaster for the pubs, shops and broadcasters that were relying on a competitive English side going all the way to the final." British broadcaster ITV alone could reportedly lose up to $2.2M NZ ($1.4M) "per match in advertising revenues if England is not involved." MediaCom Head of Trading & Investment Phil Hall predicted that viewing audiences "could plummet if England go out and that would mean fees for advert slots during the games could fall by up to 40%." Hall: "They want England to be in it for a long time, for there to be a lot of mainstream coverage and for people to tune in. It could be a disaster for ITV." Pub and retail sales were also "likely to suffer" because neutral rugby fans are more likely to lose interest if England is gone. British Beer & Pub Association spokesperson Neil Williams said, "The better England does the better it would be for pubs" (NZ HERALD, 9/28)
ANOTHER RWC ATTENDANCE RECORD: REUTERS' Toby Davis reported Ireland's RWC match against Romania Sunday "drew the biggest attendance in the tournament's history," with 89,267 fans packed in Wembley Stadium. The crowd at the 90,000-capacity stadium, home to England's national football team, "broke the previous record of 89,019" for last week's New Zealand victory over Argentina. Prior to this year's tournament, the record stood at 82,957 for the '03 final between England and Australia at Sydney's Olympic Stadium (REUTERS, 9/27).
ENGLISH RUGBY SPYS? FOX SPORTS reported a spying controversy is making headlines in the U.K. ahead of Australia's showdown with England this weekend, "with security guards reportedly chasing a photographer away from the Wallabies' closed training session in Bath." According to Neil Syson, writing in the Sun, the photographer "grabbed his camera and fled in panic when he was caught prying at the Australia rugby team." Syson added, "Aussie officials were furious as the finger was pointed at England over fears they could be gathering tactical knowledge" (FOX SPORTS, 9/28).
