My enthusiasm for RWC in NZ: Paul Morgan

There is only one country in the world where the live televising of the Rugby World Cup final would appear simultaneously on five channels! That's right, five different TV channels, not one or two but five and that country is, of course, New Zealand.

So considering this level of obsession with the great sport of rugby union, it is in many ways apt that the seventh staging of the Rugby World Cup should appear in the land of the long white cloud, and that they become the first nation to host it twice.

Those of us who have been lucky enough to visit New Zealand on rugby tours will testify to this obsession and it is true that when you meet someone in the street - any street - they can dissect the Wallaby lineout as well as Graham Henry.

We've heard all the doom-mongers talk about the lack of beds and infrastructure but one thing I can guarantee anyone lucky enough to go to New Zealand in September or October 2011 is a party they'll never forget.

Touring in many ‘rugby’ countries can be beset by indifference. I have turned up in many towns on Lions tours to be greeted by a population that barely knows what rugby is. That will definitely not be the case in New Zealand. The matches in all 12 venues will be welcomed with a frenzy and will be the biggest show in town by a long way.

My enthusiasm for a New Zealand World Cup can be explained by those many and enjoyable trips to the country. For a rugby fan there is no better place to watch the game, because the sport is knitted into the fabric of every part of life in New Zealand.

They have a Rugby Channel for goodness sake. Not a sports channel that shows lots of rugby as many countries have. They have a Rugby Channel that shows nothing but rugby - that alone should make you appreciate how enthusiastic the Kiwis will be to put on a great show. It guarantees that every restaurant, hotel, pub and fan zone will go rugby crazy in those two months.

As a journalist I want to be at the centre of the action, following the event that the country is talking about. That is guaranteed in New Zealand. What other country would move their school terms to accommodate a Rugby World Cup? Only, New Zealand.