All Blacks plan £20m British tour bonanza

As well as fitting extra matches against England and Wales into next season's autumn schedule, they are investigating the multi-million reward of taking Test rugby to new frontiers.

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In a joint venture with Australia, the New Zealand Rugby Union is keen to tap into a new global market by staging a Test against the Wallabies in Hong Kong, either en route to London next year or on their way home.

The initiative, confirmed in Sydney yesterday by Australian RU chief executive John O'Neill, offers the possibility of American cities like Los Angeles and New York hosting similar matches involving England, France, Ireland and Wales.

The All Blacks see it as a lucrative part of a nine-match tour that would include midweek matches against opponents of the calibre of Munster, Stade Francais and Leicester or Wasps.

O'Neill, the driving force behind the best World Cup of all Down Under four years ago before leaving to supervise the success of the Socceroos in Germany last year, has returned to his old job with new ideas about broadening rugby's global dimension.

"Australia and New Zealand are exploring opportunities and a match in Hong Kong is one of them," he confirmed.

"We are at a very preliminary stage but we have to make some very big statements about where rugby wants to be in 20 or 30 years. If you want to spread the gospel into new territories, particularly Asia, then the All Blacks playing the Wallabies in Hong Kong is a great thing for world rugby.

"There is nothing wrong with the World Cup, the Six Nations, the Tri-Nations and Super 14 but the problem is with the June and November Test windows and how to avoid under-strength teams coming down here at the end of the European season.

"They have got to be more meaningful, same as when we go north in November. I've been out of rugby for three-and-a-half years but nothing has changed in that respect."

For that reason, the International Board has to be more receptive to new ventures than they have been. They vetoed a triangular series between England, South Africa and Australia at Twickenham from taking place in November 2001.

"I thought that was a fantastic way of turning a number of one-off matches into something with real meaning," said O'Neill, confident that the game's governing body will take a different view on the Hong Kong enterprise.

"Having spent time in another sport, I think they would be hard-pressed to object. I am not prepared to talk about the financial aspects, other than to say that it would be rewarding."

New Zealand have ample reason to exploit what the money men call the 'brand,' in their case the most famous one of all. After a profit of more than £9m in 2005, they reported a loss for last year of almost £2m which they ascribed to the strength of the New Zealand dollar.

Chief executive Chris Moller said: "This result highlights the fact that with two-thirds of our revenue generated in foreign currency, we are vulnerable to exchange rate movements."

The All Blacks say they are 'considering a wide range of options' over extending next year's schedule of Tests in Scotland and Ireland to include England, Wales and possibly France. The trip will guarantee record profits, especially if they make it as world champions.

They hardly looked the part in making heavy weather of seeing off the Springbok reserves in Christchurch on Saturday, three tries in the last 11 minutes giving the 33-6 score a distorted look.

South Africa captain Johann Muller pointed an accusing finger at Richie McCaw, claiming that the All Black captain escaped the sin-binning fate which befell Springbok flanker Pedrie Wannenburg because "referees are intimidated by him".

The Boks were back at full-strength before Joe Rokocoko's magical sleight of hand allowed substitute scrum half Brendon Leonard to clinch the win with his first Test try.

New Zealand's final pre-World Cup exercise is the Tri-Nations decider against Australia in Auckland on Saturday.