New Zealand Rugby boss Steve Tew says there’s no easy solution to the annual problem plaguing the Bledisloe Cup. Aside from Australia getting better.
The silverware won’t be up for grabs when Yokohama stages the third match on October 27, something the NZ Rugby boss hopes won’t affect the crowd size. Nissan Stadium, which will host next year’s Rugby World Cup final, takes some filling with a capacity of 72,000.
It becomes the latest venue to stage a trans-Tasman dead rubber, with only two series – in 2007 and 2015 – having gone to a live decider during New Zealand’s current run of 15 successive series defences. The series held in 2009 and 2010, when four games were played, were also affectively meaningless.
Tew has fielded requests for the Bledisloe Cup to revert to two matches annually but that doesn’t solve the problem as a win to holders New Zealand in game one still makes the second fixture meaningless in terms of where the trophy goes.
“No one liked the idea of one-all when the team who were holding it got it,” Tew said. “It’s a balancing act, isn’t it? We would be very hopeful that the All Blacks playing in Japan in advance of Rugby World Cup will still be popular.
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Steve Hansen was proud of his All Blacks side after they beat Australia 40-12.
“Anecdotally, a lot of people from New Zealand and Australia are going up for that weekend.”
Ticket sales are overseen by the Japan Rugby Football Union and numbers aren’t yet available.
Tew was torn when asked if he wanted the Bledisloe Cup to be more competitive. Australia have beaten the world champions just twice in their past 21 Tests.
“Our ambition is to win every Test that we play. Without wanting to jinx this current group, they’ve done a pretty job over a long period of time,” he said.
“Do we want a very competitive Wallaby team in international rugby? Yes, absolutely we do. I think you’re better to ask those questions of the Australians.”
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Michael Cheika singles out some of the Wallabies’ youngest for praise after the heavy loss against the All Blacks.
Meanwhile, Tew described the women’s double-header concept as a success and is open to repeating the concept. The Black Ferns and Wallaroos played Tests as curtain-raisers to both Bledisloe Cup Tests in Sydney and Auckland.
Television numbers aren’t yet available but the crowd at the end of both women’s Tests had swelled to about 28,000. For the equivalent match at Eden Park two years ago, also before the men’s clash, the crowd size peaked at 12,500.