AusLeisure

Sundayâs Bledisloe Cup match at Hong Kongâs International Stadium has been a huge success.
A crowd of 39,000 gathered to see the All Blacks (which had already clinched the Bledisloe Cup) defeat the Wallabies 19â14.
Off field the game has been also been a financial success for both the Australian and New Zealand Rugby Unions, generating a reported AUS $12.7 million.
The 156th meeting of the two rivals marked only their second meeting on neutral turf. What was also significant about the fixture is that it acted as a bridgehead for rugby union on the Asian landmass.
Australian Rugby Union Chief Executive John O'Neill, sees considerable potential in the expansion of rugby in Asia, recently explaining that âwe have to think outside the square in accelerating rugby in Asia."
Hong Kong, as host of the world's premier rugby sevens tournament, the Hong Kong Sevens, has a long rugby tradition â the sevens event attracting significant crowds and many international visitors.
The success of the Hong Kong Bledisloe Cup clash is encouraging the Australian and New Zealand Rugby Unions to take future games further afield, to the USA in 2009 and Japan in and 2010. The Unions have a formal proposal from Denver to host a Bledisloe Cup match in 2009, and are discussing a match in Tokyo with Japanese interests.
Australian rugbyâs plans for expansion of the game in Asia are the subject of a feature article in the November/December 2008 issue of Australasian Leisure Management.

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