Manchester: World Cup organisers have booked New Zealand on a flight out of England the day after their semi-final against Australia, providing the Kiwis with added motivation ahead of the showdown in Leeds.
Sources with knowledge of tournament logistics told the Herald that World Cup organisers were forced to predict when teams would be eliminated to put a hold on flights before the start of event.
The Kiwis, ranked No.1 in the world, have been made aware that they are due out of Manchester within 24 hours of the semi-final against Australia at Elland Road. Australia, though, were originally booked on flights out of Manchester following the final at Old Trafford the following week.
It will cost tournament officials over $350 per ticket to change the flights if the Kiwis manage to spring an upset against the reigning champions on Saturday morning (AEDT).
It’s a $10,000 expense the World Cup had to fork out when Samoa knocked over Tonga in the quarter-finals over the weekend. Organisers had originally predicted that Tonga would progress to the semis and Samoa would be the team to be sent packing.
That wasn’t the way things panned out at Warrington’s Halliwell Jones Stadium, as a Joseph Suaalii-inspired Samoa bundled Tonga out of the tournament with a 20-18 win.
The perceived slight will give New Zealand’s players extra motivation.Credit:Getty
The decision to book Australia on a flight after the final validates Kangaroos captain James Tedesco’s comments earlier in the week that his side was the best team in the world despite New Zealand’s No.1 ranking.
“We see ourselves as the best, so we’re going to play like that,” Tedesco said ahead of their semi-final showdown with the Kiwis.
“We have that expectation when you put an Australian jersey on that we are going to win. We have that confidence. I don’t think the rankings really mean much to us. We want to win the World Cup.”
New Zealand forward James Fisher-Harris fired back at Tedesco after his side’s quarter-final win over Fiji.
“They are the reigning champs … Whatever that means,” a sarcastic Fisher-Harris said. “They all mostly play Origin. It’s the pinnacle and everything, so it must be the greatest team. You know they are the reigning champs. I don’t know why we are No.1. We haven’t won anything.”
Meanwhile, touring nations in the UK are uneasy over a series of decisions regarding the draw and logistics which they perceive have given hosts England an advantage in the tournament.
Eyebrows have been raised in the direction of World Cup organisers, with some officials of the opinion the hosts have been given a helping hand to have the best chance of reaching the final.
Samoan officials had privately raised concerns after Joseph Suaalii and Junior Paulo were placed on report against Tonga.
On Monday, Paulo was given a one-game ban for raising his forearm into the throat of David Fifita. The Samoans will fight the charge at the judiciary on Wednesday.
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