Sunday News can reveal the fourth Bledisloe Cup test will be held in Tokyo – and not Denver as previously thought. USA rugby boss Kevin Roberts – the former NZRU board member – confirmed the news last night.
It is understood Australian rugby boss John O'Neill was the deciding factor in heading to the Land of the Rising Yen instead of America.
"Denver won't happen this year,'' Roberts said.
"The NZRU were keen, so were USA Rugby and the International Rugby Board.
"Funding was in place but O'Neill preferred Tokyo.''
The Wallabies have been courting the Japanese since O'Neill's first stint as ARU boss in the early 2000s.
Even after his departure in 2003, his replacement Gary Flowers publicly anchored Australia's flag to Japan's in 2005 when he oversaw the Aussie vote for the 2011 World Cup going to Japan and not New Zealand.
O'Neill, who returned as CEO in 2006, is understood to have negotiated a larger fee from the Japanese than Denver's representatives were offering.
The NZRU banked around $4 million for last year's Bledisloe Cup test in Hong Kong and can expect to pull in at least $5 million from their Tokyo jaunt.
NZRU bosses will be disappointed the Tokyo decision had leaked.
Three weeks ago they hosted a Metro Denver Sports Commission delegation in Wellington and discussed a September game at the 76,125-seat capacity Invesco Field, the home of the NFL's Denver Broncos.
O'Neill's reluctance to embrace Denver and the upper hand he seems to have over the NZRU, will be seen as another example of the flamboyant Aussie dictating to his New Zealand counterparts.
In 2002 he famously `stole back New Zealand's sub-hosting rights for the 2003 World Cup - a decision that ultimately led to the resignations of then NZRU CEO David Rutherford and chairman Murray McCaw.
Meanwhile, Sunday News has learnt Jonah Lomu will be in Tokyo in the months leading up to the Bledisloe Cup test to promote the match.
Lomu - still the most recognisable All Black thanks to his global deal with adidas - has been largely ignored by the NZRU since he played the last of his 63 tests in 2002.
But a source said rugby bosses and Lomu had "kissed and made up.".
Tourism NZ will also be on hand as they see the All Blacks as New Zealand's strongest brand and will want to take advantage of that in the weeks leading up to the Bledisloe Cup test.
Roberts told Sunday News Denver would now focus on winning an All Blacks test in 2010.[/b]
