'Let's get this party started' trumpeted the New Zealand Herald this morning with the big Rugby World Cup kick off just a day away and I couldn't agree more.

After four flights, three countries, two breakfasts, a couple of half decent movies, a smattering of ex-internationals and the best part of 12,000 miles I have touched down in Dunedin ready for the sport's seventh showpiece event. And I am not the only one primed for a feast of international rugby - New Zealand is clearly ready too.

From the amusing appearance by the All Blacks in the Air New Zealand safety video, to the blanket advertising linking no end of products to the battle for Bill, to the numerous magazine covers featuring a certain Richie McCaw we are quite clearly in a country that is going to embrace the tournament like no other before it.

To borrow one well-used corporate tag line, New Zealand is 'crazy for rugby' and there are reminders of that fact at every turn. Long gone are the doubts about awarding the country the tournament in the first place and you will no longer hear concerns about its ability to house what is hailed as the world's third biggest sporting event. Instead, there is a widely held belief that New Zealand's passion for the sport and their dedication to the All Blacks in particular should inspire great things in the coming weeks.

OK, the tournament may be some way from being 'sold-out' and the potential revenues for New Zealand may sufffer (the International Rugby Board are fine thanks to the guaranteed hosting fee estimated at NZ$150m) but you sense this tournament will be richer in other ways thanks to the country's unique relationship with the sport.

All we need now is for the rugby to deliver. It all kicks off with hosts New Zealand tackling Tonga at Auckland's Eden Park on Friday night - bring it on.

Millions of corporate dollars have been spent in the hope of creating THE Rugby World Cup-based viral advert and while some are worthy of a second viewing, most are soon condemned to the darker corners of cyberspace.

And those well-paid creative types are set to be overshadowed by 17-year-old student Graham Love whose Lego-based prediction for the World Cup is already an internet hit with over 100,000 views on YouTube. The original production took over two months to create and is the result of 1,000 photos.

"I've tried to include some of the iconic rugby moments from the last year, such as the Sonny Bill Williams offload, and the Chris Ashton swallow dive try celebration," commented Love. "Plus, what rugby video would be complete without the All Blacks performing their Haka!?"

The short film concludes with New Zealand's Dan Carter and Richie McCaw lifting the Webb Ellis Cup - but will that be the case?

Sky Sports stalwarts Stuart Barnes and Miles Harrison can surely expect a call from ITV bosses after their successful loan deal in 2007 © Getty Images

ITV may have trumped their rivals and secured exclusive UK broadcast rights for both the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the more commercially-attractive tournament in England four years later but they had to dig deep to get the deal done.

Reports suggest the commercial broadcaster has stumped up in the region of £60m for the rights which is almost double the amount they paid to acquire the rights for the 2003 and 2007 tournaments. Such a huge increase in revenue represents huge coup for the International Rugby Board (IRB) and Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) in what remains a very difficult economic environment. Advertising revenues at ITV may be on the up but such an outlay is still a gamble - but one the broadcaster is seemingly happy to take. However, they will surely have to wait until the more sociable timing of the 2015 tournament to reap their reward with the early morning kick offs at next year's event in the southern hemisphere somewhat of a hand-brake on any commercial aspirations.

The price paid by ITV also reflects the status of the Rugby World Cup tournament within the global sporting calendar. RWCL are always reminding us that their showpiece event trails only the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup in terms of popularity with the 2011 tournament set to reach a reported global audience of over four billion viewers.

Impressive stuff. And you can't blame the IRB for cashing in as they earn 95% of its income from the World Cup and must make good with their aim to distribute around £150m within the game over the next two years.

The IRB revealed that five parties submitted bids for the rights package with rumours circulating that pay-per-view broadcaster BSkyB were amongst those in the running despite the fact that the Rugby World Cup Final is currently on the list of protected sports events and must be broadcast on free-to-air television.

The chance to add the RWC to their portfolio, even without exclusive rights for the final, was obviously a tempting one for BSkyB who are barred by the same legislation from acquiring a piece of both the Olympics and FIFA World Cup. Therefore the RWC is the obvious next step up for a broadcaster that sets the standard in terms of production not only in rugby but in every sport included in their portfolio.

With limited players in the market it is surely safe to assume BSkyB were amongst those four companies beaten in the bid process (Mediaweek named them as such this week) but who were the other three?

You can bet that the BBC were also amongst those involved in a "rigorous process" over the last two months. The license fee-funded BBC are set to play a pivotal role in what has been labelled a 'golden decade of sport' as the host broadcaster for the 2012 Olympics in London and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. In addition, the 2013 Rugby League World Cup in the UK and what is hoped will be a successful bid the 2018 FIFA World Cup will provide further key opportunities. But neither RWC'11 nor RWC'15 will be broadcast on BBC TV.

In fact, RWC'11 will not be broadcast on the BBC - in any form. For those who may have missed it earlier this year, the exclusive radio rights went to Talksport - breaking the corporation's monopoly of live audio coverage of the tournament dating back to 1987. And so ITV's recent success ends the BBC's relationship with the RWC - for now at least.

OK - that's three bidders 'identified', what about the other two? The original invitation to tender by the IRB stated that only, "organisations with the necessary stature, experience, financial resources and ability to reach a national audience" would be considered. As free-to-air broadcasters with access to a national audience, Channel 4 and Five are the most obvious candidates and have sports production experience but if BSkyB saw their subscription-based product as no barrier to a bid then perhaps ESPN or even Eurosport were also interested in joining the party?

ITV has a long association with the Rugby World Cup, having broadcast every tournament since 1991 and following the final in 2015 they will be able to celebrate 24 largely happy years as the principle broadcaster in the UK - no mean feat. UK viewers will also be aware that they also boast a Premiership Rugby highlights show within their current stable of sports with presenters Craig Doyle and Martin Bayfield amongst those set to benefit from the latest RWC deal.

ITV may not have set the world alight in terms of production but they made a significant move in 2007 by leasing the services of Sky's excellent commentary team of Miles Harrison and Stuart Barnes. The standard-setting duo can surely expect a call from Niall Sloane, ITV Controller of Sport, in the months ahead with a similar offer.

Don't be surprised too if ITV's coverage of the tournament also calls on some of the talent that is set to bring you live and exclusive coverage of the Aviva Premiership on ESPN this season. ITV's recent coverage of the FIFA World Cup utilised the services of regular ESPN faces Kevin Keegan and Kelly Cates and a similar crossover could be in the pipeline for their rugby counterparts - contracts allowing.

Springboks captain Francois Pienaar receives the Rugby World Cup trophy from South African President Nelson Mandela. © Getty Images

The Fifa World Cup currently dominating the sporting agenda was always going to struggle to generate the same kind of emotion that was so evident when rugby's finest descended on South Africa in 1995 due in part to the strides that the nation has taken together in the last 15 years under the lasting influence of Nelson Mandela.

Unlike the Springboks, Bafana Bafana have never been a major force in their sport - a fact that was underlined by their failure to progress from the group stages making them the first host nation to exit at the first hurdle. Despite the home side's shortcomings, the tournament has already been heralded as a success and will no doubt still go on to leave a significant mark in history but with the vuvuzelas silenced to a certain degree and African interest hanging by a thread there is little chance that it will resonate like its rugby equivalent.

The big screen attempt to capture the enthralling story behind rugby's third global showpiece, the Clint Eastwood-helmed Invictus, was released to mixed reviews earlier this year while ESPN's own The 16th Man took a documentary approach to the role of the tournament in post-apartheid South Africa. But you can re-live the tournament itself in another recent DVD release - 1995 Rugby World Cup - The Full Story.

The 'one nation, one team' philosophy inspired by Mandela brought the country together and the Springboks responded by claiming an historic victory that not only delighted the Rainbow Nation but was also a key factor in the development of the tournament itself and its current status as the world's third biggest sporting event owes a lot to that magical month in 1995. History demands that Mandela, Pienaar and the joy of a nation re-born will always be the big story but there were many more memorable moments played out in its shadow.

The narration of Eddie Butler and a somewhat interesting soundtrack will take you through the following rollercoaster of a ride:

+ The greatest tragedy in World Cup history. Ivory Coast winger Max Brito broke his neck in his side's pool clash with Tonga and was paralysed and has been confined to a wheelchair ever since. A sad reminder of how dangerous the game can be.

+ The emergence of Jonah Lomu as a star of the game. The giant Kiwi wing tore into Scotland, Ireland and most memorably England on his way to a tournament leading tally of 7 tries. "He touches the ball and things happen." exclaims one of many stunned commentators but he was shackled sufficiently by the Springboks in the Ellis Park finale.

+ A nasty-looking brawl between Canada and South Africa in the pool stages that saw suspensions handed down to amongst others the Canucks' Rod Snow and Gareth Rees and the Springboks' James Dalton with the latter crying in front of the cameras following the end of his World Cup dream.

+ Chester Williams returning from injury to take a starring role in the Springboks' run to the final - not just due to his skin colour but also his try-scoring feats including four against Samoa in the quarter-finals.

+ New Zealand racking up what was then the biggest win in Rugby World Cup history - a 145-17 mauling of Japan.

+ Several women with brooms desperately trying to sweep standing water from the Kings Park pitch in an effort to make the ground playable for the semi-final meeting between South Africa and France. It's questionable whether they succeeded but the game went ahead.

+ A final flourish from Scotland's Gavin Hastings in his last tournament before retiring. The dashing fullback racked up 44 points in one game against the Ivory Coast and 104 in total.

+ An outrageous drop goal from All Blacks No.8 Zinzan Brooke during his side's semi-final victory over England - his effort from almost half-way heaping woe on a side still reeling from the effects of a certain Mr Lomu.

+ A jumbo jet flying oh-so-low over Ellis Park in Johannesburg ahead of the final remains one of the sports' most dramatic experiences and images

+ And an un-named Japan lock head-butting a wall as part of his pre-match preparations ahead of facing the All Blacks.

Tragedy struck the Mandela family on the eve of this year's tournament and he was subsequently absent from the opening ceremony but we can only hope that the iconic former leader returns to centre stage for the final on July 11. The World Cup would not have been awarded to South Africa were it not for the great man and although there may not be the picture perfect moment as above - the adulation will have only intensified in the time that has lapsed since that day.

The wait is almost over for rugby fans around the world - general ticket sales for Rugby World Cup 2011 will begin next Tuesday with 750,000 up for grabs in what organisers are calling 'phase 1' of the process.

Tickets will be released through Venue Pool Packs and Team Pool Packs and fans who apply will also have the option of adding a Quarter-final Weekend Pack in Wellington or Christchurch and/or Tickets to the Bronze Final to their application. Initial applications will close on Friday, May 21 but get ahead of the game and pre-register here.

The second phase will see individual tickets for all matches except the semi-finals and the Final released. This is expected to occur in August or September. The third phase will feature a ballot system for tickets to the semi-finals and the Final. Applicants from the first two phases will receive one entry into the ballots for each ticket applied for in earlier phases. Any remaining tickets will go on general sale in 2011.

Tournament organisers will be keen observers from Tuesday onwards as they look to leverage the only revenue-making tool available to them in their bid to cover costs. But there have already been promising signs in terms of ticket sales in the domestic market and travel agents have also reported good business with a further spike guaranteed in the coming weeks as interest intensifies.

The IRB have also launched an ad campaign as part of their quest to protect fans - and their own trademarks - with a TV spot under the title of 'Don't Get Let Down' which urges fans to only buy tickets, hospitality and merchandise from official suppliers. Watch the advert here.

Next Tuesday also marks 500 days until the start of the tournament and if you need your interest sparked even further check out the promotional clip below along with the Feelers' cover of a Jesus Jones classic as the soundtrack.

	RFU chairman Martyn Thomas Japanese Rugby Union president Nobby Mashimo have reason to smile alongside the Webb Ellis Cup © Getty Images

The prospect of the sport’s showpiece event taking place outside its traditional boundaries is certainly an exciting one and the fact it will be visiting Asia – a continent with a true hunger for the game - makes the announcement all the more pleasing.

The decision to break new ground is long overdue of course but should be applauded all the same as a brave and bold move. Japan should perhaps be preparing to welcome the world’s best in 2011 but they lost out to New Zealand in the race for that tournament as a result of the dark arts otherwise known as committee room manoeuvrings.

On that occasion the rugby world appeared to be aligning itself behind Japan but the tournament was handed to New Zealand in a surprising and somewhat controversial turnaround. Thankfully for Japan there was no last-minute heartbreak this time and I am confident that the home of the Cherry Blossoms - currently ranked 14th in the world and not yet assured of a place at RWC'11 - will breathe new life into the tournament.

The International Rugby Board (IRB) have repeatedly opted for the safe bet of a World Cup hosted by a leading nation instead of breaking the mould by staging a tournament in a country where the sport does not have such a strong foothold. But the sport’s powerbrokers cannot be criticised too readily for taking such a stance.

Rugby is no different to any other professional sport and above all – money talks. The fact that the IRB gets 95% of its income from the tournament underlines the fact that they need to get it right when it comes to handing out the hosting rights. This is not a game of pass-the-parcel at a child’s birthday party – there is no obligation to share the prize.

The decision to opt for England may well have been made in Dublin on Tuesday afternoon – or perhaps last month when the Rugby Football Union received the significant backing of tournament organisers Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) – but the path to this day leads way back to November 18, 2005 when New Zealand were awarded the rights to host Rugby World Cup 2011.

The conclusion reached that day put the IRB in a bind that brought us here today.

With the battle for the Webb Ellis Cup continuing to grow in terms of popularity and commercial importance (it is the world third-largest sporting event behind the Olympics and the Fifa World Cup) there was a misguided feeling that the tournament had to return to New Zealand before it became too big an event to be staged in the Land of the Long White Cloud. There would have been no such sympathy had that process taken place amidst a financial recession such as that which we are witnessing now. Let's leave the emotion on the field and ban it from the boardroom in the future.

Rugby World Cup 2007 in France was outstanding in many aspects including the bulging balance sheet it produced with a £122m surplus thanks to lucrative sponsorship packages, broadcasting deals and merchandising revenue. Plus tournament organisers sold a staggering 2.2m tickets.

In contrast, New Zealand is predicted to make a £20m loss - the first in Rugby World Cup history - largely due to the size of stadia and the global economic turndown. Ticket revenue is New Zealand's only way of covering the reported NZ$320m cost of hosting the tournament as the IRB keeps all other income. With a limited amount of tickets set to be released the hosts are highly unlikely to reap any direct reward and will no doubt hope for a positive effect in terms of tourism to offset this.

Limited stadia also surely mean less hospitality options and less fans spending money on official merchandise which will no doubt eat into the IRB's revenue from the tournament. The big TV rights deals for the tournament - the ones covering Europe - have yet to be agreed but the downturn in advertising revenue will hamper any bid from a commercial broadcaster. In the UK, ITV (broadcasters of RWC'07) are suffering in the economic climate with the license fee-funded BBC and satelite broadcaster Sky waiting in the wings. Either way the level of fees agreed will be another interesting talking point with time zones demanding early morning kick offs in Europe where evening kick offs would command the higher advertising revenue.

There is no way the New Zealand tournament will match that of their French counterparts and the IRB know this and are planning to make up that shortfall at the earliest opportunity. There are no financial gurarantees in place for 2011 as opposed to 2015 and 2019 when the hosts will have to stump up £80m and £96m respectively.

The IRB bean counters will be working overtime as they are committed to spending £150m on the development of the game in the next four years alone and so a tournament in England made commercial sense long before the 26-strong IRB Council had waded through the hefty dossier produced by RWCL and their consulting partners.

The figures produced by the RFU in their own detailed bid will have had the eyes of Bernard Lapasset, chairman of both the IRB and RWCL, and his fellow suits rolling like the reels on a slot machine. England’s “low risk, high return” approach and their pledge to generate in the region of £300m for the game were obviously powerful persuaders although an eventual 16-10 vote suggests the RFU did not have it all their own way.

RWCL’s endorsement of the English and Japanese bids meant that any other result from today’s vote would have made a laughing stock of the sport. But such is the shadow of the sport’s amateur ways that today’s finale to an 11-month tender process risked such ridicule - especially when you invite the world's media along. And the vote count, Japan won by the same margin, suggests that such a scenario was all too near to becoming an embarrassing reality.

Delight for England and Japan obviously means disappointment for South Africa and Italy – the other two bidders to have reached this far in the process.

According to reports, South Africa fought until the finish to turn the tide in their favour but for the second tournament in a row – they were also edged out for RWC’11 when they arguably held commercial sway – they must admit defeat.

They may have offered a larger guarantee than that demanded by the IRB for the 2015 and 2019 events respectively but most importantly they could not match the overall commercial clout of England. The South African Rugby Union’s failure to capitalise on this year’s British & Irish Lions tour, with empty seats at nearly all the games, will not have been missed by the IRB. As a result they must now wait until at least 2023 to play host to the world’s best once again.

Development of the game was the key factor in this process both in terms of funding it and delivering on that long-held promise. In Lapasset’s own words there was a need to, “maximise commercial revenues for re-investment in the Game.”

England, with their passionate fans and world-class stadiums, will no doubt deliver a superb tournament as part of what is set to be an unprecedented ‘decade of sport’ and more importantly a healthy financial return. OK, it will once again see games take place in another country but we can put up with a trip or two to the magnificent Millennium Stadium - at least the tournament will not be as watered down as it was in 1991.

But it is the staging of the 2019 event that will have true fans talking and do not be surprised if Japan, with an amazing ten years to prepare, laughs off its doubters with the greatest tournament the sport has ever seen. The sport's biggest prize is truly in safe hands.

The IRB Council will announce the hosts of the 2015 and 2019 tournaments on July 28 with England, South Africa, Italy and Japan battling it out to host the first of those tournaments.

The countries put their respective cases to the IRB Council last month and the sport's powerbrokers are currently digesting the pros and cons of each nation's bid.

A couple of points of note have surfaced since I arrived here in South Africa for the Lions tour, with SA Rugby taking the opportunity to push their cause.

In the official tour magazine, produced by SA Rugby, they claim one of the strengths of their bid is that they will be a 'clean' host nation. By this they mean that, "the tournament would dominate the host union's media space without having to compete with soccer's English Premier League or italy's Serie A."

I find it amazing that a country's passion for sport, not just rugby, could hamper its chances of hosting the sport's showpiece event. However, such a scenario is obviously a factor otherwise SA Rugby would not give it such emphasis.

Surely tournament officials are well aware of the Rugby World Cup's status as the third biggest sporting event on the planet behind the Olympics and the Fifa World Cup and have no real concerns about goign head-to-head with domestic football competitions?

Something else many may not be aware of is that the current bid process involves one significant change to previous tournaments. The Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) Board will make a firm recommendation to the IRB Council on their preferred bidders.

The Council does not have to accept that recommendation but we can assume that their thoughts carry some weight especially when the same man - Bernard Lapasset - is chairman of both organistions.

England are promising to use the, "biggest and best stadia in England and Wales" if they are awarded Rugby World Cup 2015. The obvious options of Twickenham, Wembley, Old Trafford and the Millennium Stadium have been mentioned but what others grounds will form part of their bid?

France used 12 stadiums during RWC'07 (including the Millennium Stadium and Murrayfield that were used to varying success) and none of those had a capacity less than 33,000 which offers some guide as to where RWC'15 may play out.

The sport's global showpiece heads to New Zealand in just over two year's time where size of stadiums are limited but by the time the tournament rolls back into the northern hemisphere you can expect it to be bigger and better than ever.

Add to these facts the need to recoup a massive £80m plus guarantee and it does not look good for the historic but limited grounds used week in and week out in the Premiership that do not come close to a 30,000 capacity.

So which stadiums will be included in the RFU's bid? Here's my 12 - what do you think?

Twickenham
Wembley
Millennium Stadium
Old Trafford
Stadium of Light
Ricoh Arena
Madejski Stadium
Walkers Stadium
Bristol City Stadium (to be built)
Galpharm Stadium
Kingsholm
Sixways

So the Scotland have ended their interest in hosting part of Rugby World Cup 2015.

The sport's showpiece event is tipped to return to Europe after the 2011 event in New Zealand with England in the running - but they remain concerned by the £80m hosting fee/guarantee demanded by the IRB. Unlike their likely rivals to host the 2015 competition - Italy, Japan and South Africa - England do not yet have assurances of financial backing by their government.

The IRB will confirm on May 8 which unions have bid to host the 2015 and 2019 tournaments and final presentations will be made on May 13, The venues for both will then be selected by the IRB council on July 28.

It remains to be seen whether the Rugby Football Union, who reportedly had fears about ticket sales north of the border, strike deals with their Welsh, Irish and possibly even French counterparts that will see games staged there as they plan how to recoup the massive hosting fee. But there will be no formal co-hosting deals struck.

Such arrangements would see the RFU hire venues in those countries, in the hope of tapping into strong markets, and then reap the benefits from ticket sales - their only guaranteed revenue as hosts.

The common view amongst fans and pundits is that the one-country bid is the way ahead. Australia set the standard in 2003 and that will again be the case in New Zealand. The event in France in 2007 was a huge success, although the four matches in Wales and two in Cardiff did water down the impact to a certain degree.

It appears that the horse-trading when it comes to voting means that a similar scenario is likely if it did return to the northern hemisphere, and specifically England, in 2015. The fact that Scotland, Ireland or Wales will never be in the position to host the tournament on their own adds to the mix. Joint bids make financial sense to them with the cost off-set by the substantial revenue the tournament can generate. The Rugby Football Union knows this too and can use it to their advantage.

Could the RFU muster enough support without such promises to share matches? I dare say this is being discussed behind the scenes as I write. Sadly, I fear the political history would mean that the pros and cons of their bid against that of other countries would only be part of the story.

The game does need to break new ground in terms of tournament hosts, but the IRB also need to secure the sport's future in terms of revenue and European-based tournament will provide that. But will the IRB decision-makers chance their arm and go with Italy? If the RFU were to alienate their own allies, Italy's claims could become stronger. Either way, the impact of the IRB's new hosting fees are casting a shadow over all the proceedings.

Logistically, in terms of stadia, Italy would have no problem hosting the tournament but it would require the use of football stadiums. This would also be the case in England if they opted to go it alone.

We've already seen rugby at Wembley recently (although their remain concerns over the pitch) and a bid that also included matches at impressive arenas like Old Trafford (which will also host England v Argentina later this year), City of Manchester Stadium (Commonwealth Games 7s) and the Madejski Stadium (London Irish) would be very impressive.

Where would you like to see the Rugby World Cup take place?

The first tickets for the 2011 Rugby World Cup will go up for grabs this week - but sadly only fans in New Zealand need to read on.

Sponsors Heineken are giving away two tickets to the tournament finale at Eden Park on October 23, 2011 and are not likely to be short of interest. How do you get your hands on them I hear you ask? All fans who turn up to Wellington Regional Stadium by noon on Wednesday will go into a draw for a pair tickets.

Tickets for the sport's next global showpiece are not expected to go on general sale until early next next year.