Rugby World Cup preview

The Rugby World Cup will offer pubs new business opportunities this autumn.

You know what you did last summer? Well, you could be doing it again this autumn.

Like the 2002 Football World Cup, the 2003 Rugby World Cup, which kicks off on October 10, is a golden opportunity for publicans to cash in on their customers' passion for sport.

Last June's games brought the pub industry an estimated extra £165m and, while rugby might not be quite as big a draw as football, the excitement is building. Depending on how the tournament goes, we could have some pretty packed pubs for the final rounds early in November.

Ignoring the shape of the ball for a moment, this World Cup is like the last in that, because it is being held in Australia, there will be morning kick-offs. This was a worry for licensees in 2002, but when it came to it the trade proved that early morning opening could work, and having that experience to refer to is bound to be an advantage this time around.

On top of that, domestic interest will be broader and is likely to last longer. England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland are all playing and, amazingly, England are lined up for a spot in the final, at least according to the bookmakers.

That means interest in the competition could be sustained for the whole six weeks. Are your ready for that?

ITV has won the rights to screen games in the UK. It hasn't yet come to a decision on which ones it will be showing live and it has ITV2, available cheaply through a freeview system, to play with for some of the less headline-making matches.

It means that people will be able to watch the major confrontations live at home. But that shouldn't stop you from marketing your pub as the place where they can enjoy an atmosphere that can come close to being at the ground.

By now you should have applied for your morning extensions and, hopefully, got them.

Even if you haven't, there are some lucrative-looking lunchtime games, especially for England pubs.

England's campaign opens against Georgia at 1pm on Sunday October 12 and the same day Scotland has an 11am kick-off against Japan, so it could be worth English licensees opening for breakfast that day. However, if you haven't got an extension you'll have to keep the towels on the taps for an hour.

The following Saturday looks a sure winner for the trade, with England's 1pm clash with South Africa set to be one of the highlights of the first round.

Another will be Scotland v France, kicking off at 11am on Saturday, October 25, and promising a busy lunchtime session in its wake.

Most matches, however, fall outside of current opening hours. There are quite a few 10am or 10.30am starts which could encourage you to get people in a little early with the promise of a pint in the second half, especially at weekends. Ireland's first two games, against Romania and Namibia, fall into this category.

Three of Wales's matches are at 9am - but at least they are all weekend games and they include an opener against Canada on that first Sunday when both Scotland and England are also playing. They also play in the last match of the first round, at 9.30am on Sunday, November 2, against the tournament favourites New Zealand.

What about the even earlier kick-offs? England's two 7am Sunday starts might at one time have seemed an unreasonable excuse for opening the doors, but the Football World Cup proved that people can get fired up to make the effort. If the magistrates can believe it's a special occasion maybe so can the fans.

Midweek early kick-offs last summer saw people going into pubs near their workplace to catch a game, or part of it, before the daily grind began.

Although few home country games fit that bill, you should be aware that this country contains substantial contingents of Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans and others.

An estimated million Australians and 500,000-plus South Africans live in the UK so if you can identify a demand there it's a chance to make some new friends.

Pubs with morning extensions will have to have assured local magistrates that they aren't simply taking advantage of the occasion to sell alcohol. They should be basing their decision on a High Court ruling made in the run-up to the Football World Cup which said licensees should demonstrate they are providing "suitable facilities" for fans.

These could include:

• a big screen TV
• breakfasts and extra food
• tea, coffee and soft drinks (as well as alcohol)
• creating an environment suitable for women as well as men
• organised events.

As this article was posted, the general feeling was that most applications were going through smoothly but even if you've already got your extension, you should make every effort to create the right sort of environment in your pub to impress the magistrates and the local authority and get them on-side for future applications.

You should also bear in mind who you need to influence when the time comes to set your opening hours under the new Licensing Act.

It's not just a legal matter, though. When you think about it, these are the kind of things you should be doing anyway if you want to make the most of the opportunity.

Offering food, tea and coffee during the morning can keep people in the pub for longer and add to the convivial atmosphere. It's probably best not to do full meals but keep it to bacon butties and so on, the kind of food that's easy to cook and easy to hold at the same time as drinking a pint.

A big screen - or multiple screens - is a good idea because you want people to have a good view of the game, especially if they've made an effort to get out of bed to watch it at your pub. Don't forget to turn the sound up. It all helps generate the big match atmosphere.

Don't assume the audience will be the usual all-male rugby crowd. As the tournament gathers pace all kinds of people will take an interest and maybe get excited by the thought of an England success. Make everyone welcome.

What you do around the rugby itself is also important. Quizzes, competitions and promotions help to make your pub the place to be for the Rugby World Cup.

Rugby World Cup 2003​

According to a survey carried out among more than 300 pubs by Sportspubs.co.uk:

• fans are prepared to travel for an average 40 minutes to watch a game at a good sports pub
• people arrive to watch a game in an average group size of four
• each person will buy an average of five drinks (98 per cent of them alcoholic)
• at £2.50 per drink this adds up to £75,000 extra business a month
• major events such as the World Cup attract larger groups and can net sports pubs £250,000 or more.

World Cup facts​

• 92 nations entered the tournament and started playing qualifying games in September 2000
• 20 teams have reached the finals which will be played in 10 different cities across Australia producing a total of 3,500 hours of rugby
• The Rugby World Cup has been the fastest-growing international sporting event over the past decade and is now the world's third most popular and largest sporting event after the Fifa World Cup and the Olympics
• In 1999 the competition was broadcast to 209 countries, reaching an audience of more than three billion people in 745 million households
• The four major sponsors of the 2003 Rugby World Cup are Coca-Cola, Heineken, Visa and Quantas/British Airways
• The World Cup will use 77 ball boys, 3 ball girls, 900 rugby balls, 100 tonnes of ice and 100,000 litres of fluids for the players
• 40,000 overseas visitors to Australia are expected, including 2,000 Georgians!

More on the Rugby World Cup:​

Click herefor all the World Cup fixtures.

We crack open a tinny and pick out the main contenders - click