World Cup bid chief fears Australian rugby could become 'third-tier sport'
Australian rugby could become a “third-tier sport” unless the Wallabies host the World Cup in 2027, according to two-time tournament winner Phil Kearns. Kearns has become executive bid director for Australia’s tilt at hosting the tournament in seven years’ time, and the 67-cap former hooker feels the nation is in dire need of a chance to stage the global contest.
The 53-year-old helped Australia win the World Cup in both 1991 and 1999, and is now helming the Wallabies’ bid for host status in seven years’ time.
“There was some talk that we were a second-tier sport heading to a third-tier sport,” said Kearns.
“Now certainly by winning this it would give us the opportunity that we won’t be going to third tier, but also that we’ve got the potential to go to a first-tier sport in this country, not a second tier.
“If you go back to the late 90s and early 2000s we were a tier-one sport in this country, no doubt about it.
“And we can’t escape the fact that we’ve gone backwards.
“Now this gives us an opportunity to turn that around for the long-term.”
World Rugby’s official hosting bidding process will open in February 2021, with the 2027 host decision expected in May 2022.
Australia are the front-runners to host a World Cup outright for the first time since 2003, with the Wallabies having also shared hosting duties with New Zealand for the inaugural 1987 competition.
Kearns hopes his new appointment can represent the first step in a wider healing process for Rugby Australia.
The 53-year-old was instrumental in open criticism of Australia’s governing body earlier this year, and that pressure from a group of former Wallaby captains led to chief executive Raelene Castle’s resignation.
Rob Clarke has since stepped into an interim CEO role at Rugby Australia, with Kearns having previously eyed up taking that post permanently.
Six Nations games behind closed doors. ?https://t.co/gR4qijEraG
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But now Kearns has insisted he will focus instead on spearheading the Wallabies’ World Cup bid.
Asked if he still has any designs on the chief executive role, Kearns said: “I think this will put paid to that aspiration.
“There’s a couple of big roles in Australian Rugby at the moment, and this is certainly one of them.
“And I guess what swayed me was the importance of this in terms of the future financial health of our game.
Could Wayne Pivac benefit from Jamie Roberts' power and experience? #WalesRugby #BritishAndIrishLions pic.twitter.com/A382KOkwez
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“If you look at the numbers in the last few World Cups, Japan generated 7.5billion US dollars economic value for Japan.
“And we’ll be coming out of a downturn of Covid-19 by then.
“This could be a really critical boost to our economy right around the country.
“But also from a junior rugby perspective it’s important to have our game underpinned by a positive financial future.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Pls get it into your thick arrogant heads that the final was played by two Southern Hemisphere teams. The best against the best and that Argentina was just unlucky otherwise non of the Northetn Hemisphere teams would have seen the light of day.
124 Go to commentsAs long as New Zealand youth are involved in sport they are passionate for, and are well supported, it’s all good. I love league as well as rugby. NRL clubs have long since scouted the First 15 competitions, the NH and Japan scout super rugby and NPC. It’s a miracle there’s any players left for the all blacks to pick from.
4 Go to commentsI'm a Bok fan, so I don't say this lightly, but he is one of my all time favourite players. I am really going to miss watching him play. Thanks for many great memories. You are a true legend of the game.
3 Go to commentsBest way to deal with all of this is to play another game.
124 Go to commentsIt’s 12-15 games Luke. Ringrose has barely played in 2024 and Henshaw and Keenan have also been out for spells in the same time period. There are always injuries and for younger players to play with the likes of Barrett will be great for them. It’s just looking for negatives where there are none.
5 Go to commentsAndy Goode pushing his own agenda with very dubious considerations on refereeing performances. Luke Pearce speaking a bit of French doesn’t make him a good and adequate referee for the Champions Cup final; his latest refereeing performance in particular was not so great.
4 Go to commentsJordie knows that he has to earn the right to put on the jersey, whatever that jersey might be.
5 Go to commentsThe best outside centre in the world at one point. He will be greatly missed.
3 Go to commentsYip his great for the big moments when needed as a safa really enjoy watching him
4 Go to commentsOne that will start to come up from now on is penalties for back pushes during kick chase scrambles. Very difficult to detect. In Croke Park if you replay the Hendy NH try, you will see Furbank push Porter in the back, who collides with Larmour knocking the ball across into Hendy’s path to dot down. A more significant example was in the RWC QTR final where Arendse pushes Fickou into two other French players for the ball to spill into Arendse’s path for him to gather and run in to score SAs first try. Not cheating if you are not caught and very difficult to spot but with kicking becoming so critical I feel its an area that will referreeed/TMO-ed more.
4 Go to commentsWhat a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
124 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
3 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
4 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to commentsFinals are always tense affairs for the players so I do not expect this to be a spectacle of running rugby unfortunately.
4 Go to commentsBulls***': Ex-England international calls out Eben Etzebeth… Not to his face but from very far away… after he’d left. Checked to make sure he wasn’t in the building.
124 Go to commentsHopefully this will mean a new Auckland league team to support in the west. Big Warriors fan but it’s very, very stale on that front and I’d like the option of another team if it was to watch league again. League needs to step up BIG time if its to get anywhere, another AK team and something from the capitol or south is a must for the game.
4 Go to commentsGood, deep interview, nice job Frankie!
1 Go to comments