Ian Farrant believes Dunedin will have a world-class facility to show off at the 2011 Rugby World Cup and hopes a quarterfinal will be held in the city.
Mr Farrant, the Wanaka businessman heading the lobby group pushing for the South's involvement in the tournament, was delighted the Dunedin City Council voted on Monday night to commit to the new roofed stadium.
‘‘We will have a world-class facility which we can promote to RWC 2011 in our bid for games, and we're excited about that,'' he said yesterday.
‘‘Rugby World Cup 2011 is really important to this region. We're putting our best foot forward but we can't make any promises.
‘‘We'll be lobbying hard for a quarterfinal. And we'll be lobbying for other games and the hosting of teams.
‘‘The southern part of New Zealand is a hugely important part of the country. We've got all the character and the great tourism areas.''
Mr Farrant's group includes Queenstown Mayor Clive Geddes, Dunedin businessman William Cockerill, former New Zealand Rugby Union president Dave Johnston, Southland lawyer Tom Pryde and Invercargill accountant John Ward.
The group met members of RWC 2011, the organiser of the tournament, two weeks ago.
‘‘We've built a great rapport with the RWC group,'' Mr Farrant said.
Within a year, RWC 2011 will have announced where all games in the tournament are being played.
It has already said both semifinals and the final will be in Auckland at the revamped Eden Park with a capacity of 60,000.
Four quarterfinals will be contestable, with Wellington's Cake Tin and Christchurch's AMI Stadium almost certain to get at least one each, potentially leaving Dunedin's new stadium, Waikato Stadium and North Harbour Stadium in a three-way battle for the two other last-eight games.
Logistically, Dunedin will not have as strong a case as the North Island venues because it is so much further away from the tournament hub of Auckland.
The RWC group has intimated three pools will have ‘‘bases'', with the pool containing the All Blacks to be scattered across the country.
That could mean the South bids for a quarterfinal in Dunedin, games in Queenstown and Invercargill, and the right to host various teams throughout the tournament.
