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Draw for 2003 World Cup is put back to next February

2003 WORLD CUP: The draw for the 2003 World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand has been put back to early next year, …

Wed Nov 28 2001 - 00:00

2003 WORLD CUP: The draw for the 2003 World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand has been put back to early next year, Australian rugby officials said yesterday.

The draw was supposed to be released next week after the reigning champions Australia returned home from their end-of-season tour of Europe but has been delayed until February 2002.

A spokesman for the Australian Rugby Union said the delay had been caused by a hold-up with the signing of the host-union agreement. That deal was supposed to be finalised at last month's International Rugby Board in Dublin but is expected to be signed within the next few weeks.

"The host-union agreement is very close to being finalised, but the draw has been put back to early next year," the spokesman said.

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The 2003 World Cup has been plagued by rumours that the event will be switched to the Northern Hemisphere because of a row between Australian and New Zealand officials but the IRB has dismissed the suggestions as untrue.

IRB LEVY: The English Rugby Union is looking to avoid a showdown with the International Rugby Board over ways of funding developing nations who are feeling the pinch in the professional era. The IRB has accepted that the £6 million sterling it raises through the World Cup every four years is not going far enough and it has proposed a levy on the eight foundation unions: England, France, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

The IRB called a meeting of the leading nations last month because of fears that some smaller unions were in danger of going broke. Under their scheme, two per cent of the gate receipts of each match hosted by one of the eight would go to the IRB to be reinvested in the game's other 86 playing countries. That would have cost the RFU around £240,000 this year whereas its own scheme, which was unveiled yesterday, would see an outlay of some £150,000.

The RFU's plan is for the eight leading unions to each adopt two countries, offering them practical assistance throughout the year, in an effort to help them challenge for a place in the quarter-finals in 2007 and 2011.

The proposal would see England "adopting" Canada and the United States, a manoeuvre which should guarantee the RFU Canada's vote next April when England and France compete for the right to stage the 2007 World Cup.

BARBARIANS MATCH: The Australian selectors have paired Queensland brothers Toutai and Steve Kefu in the centre for today's closing tour clash against the Barbarians at the Millennium Stadium.

Toutai Kefu played at number eight in Sunday's 21-13 win here over Wales and is just one of four players from that match who will start against a star-studded Barbarians.

"Injuries have forced us to make some changes but overall we've picked a team that should live up to the Barbarian spirit," said Wallaby coach Eddie Jones. "The Kefus are extremely talented and versatile footballers and I'd expect them to create a great deal of havoc in midfield."

The Kefu brothers played in the centre for Queensland in South Africa during this year's Super 12 series. Full-back Matthew Burke, prop Nick Stiles and lock David Giffin are unavailable because of injury.

The Barbarians, coached by former Australia chief Bob Dwyer, are captained by Wales scrum-half Robert Howley while former Kangaroos rugby league international Mat Rogers is on the bench.

BARBARIANS: P Montgomery (Rsa); B Paulse (Rsa), S Glas (Fra), P Howard (Aus), S Terblanche (Rsa); B van Straaten (Rsa), R Howley (Wal) capt; P Miller (Nzl) O Magne (Fra), C Krige (Rsa); M Andrews (Rsa), I Jones (Nzl); D Young (Wal), R Ibanez (Fra), D Morris (Wal) Replacements: R Cockerill (Eng), C Dowd (Nzl), S Mayling (Nzl), P Lam (Sam), W Swanepoel (Rsa), C Spencer (Nzl), M Rogers (Aus).

AUSTRALIA: C Latham; B Tune, S Kefu, T Kefu, S Staniforth; E Flatley, G Gregan, capt; D Lyons, G Smith, M Connors, T Bowman, J Harrison, R Moore, B Cannon, B Young. Replacements: M Foley, B Darwin, O Finegan, P Waugh, C Whitaker, M Edmonds, St Larkham.

ANDREW CONTROVERSY: The English RFU last night decided not to take any action against the Newcastle director of rugby Rob Andrew for comments he made before the Test between England and Australia earlier this month which so infuriated England manager Clive Woodward that he asked for disciplinary measures to be taken against Andrew.