 |
|
|
|
Auckland’s Eden Park will host the 2011 Rugby World Cup final after cabinet, meeting in the capital Wellington, conceded that its plan to build a new waterfront stadium lacked local support. The New Zealand Herald reports that the new stadium would have crippled the seaport and cost half a billion dollars to build.
Auckland’s city council voted for the waterfront stadium 13-7 last Thursday. But the plan was scuttled when the 12-member Auckland Regional Council voted unanimously for an expansion of the existing stadium at Eden Park.
Auckland hammered Wellington 12-nil in the second half.
“It was a tough match,” Labour frontbencher and Wellington coach Trevor Mallard told The Daily Grind. “We were up in the first half, but, you know, it’s a game of two halves and Eden Park had a lot of go-forward.”
“Full credit to the boys, though,” he said of his team, all of whom were selected for the national side in 2004.
The debate over where to hold the finals now appears to be over. A controversial third option involved the government paying to upgrade Eden Park, to build the new stadium, and, for the kids, to offer white elephant rides between the two.
The Rugby World Cup sees traditional rivals South Africa and New Zealand face off to decide which Commonwealth Country has the silliest accent.
