Revelling in Rugby Fervour

“International commentators have revelled in New Zealand’s embracing of the [Rugby World Cup], calling for the small nation to get a chance to host again — regardless of the financial drawbacks for the International Rugby Board,” Michael Dickison wrote for the New Zealand Herald. “Guardian rugby columnist Paul Rees wrote that New Zealand must be allowed to stage another World Cup. ‘This is a rugby country unlike any other and while the sport has to grow, it must not lose what it already has,’ Rees said. Even teams with the fewest travelling supporters had been enthusiastically adopted by locals, he said. Former English rugby international Paul Ackford wrote in the Telegraph that the tournament had seen genuine hospitality and interest. ‘Big games and big teams take care of themselves, but the true test of how engaging a global sporting event is, is whether the sideshows grab you by the short and curlies.’”