Murray McCully and his colleagues should be pleased. The losses to South Africa and now Australia should push foreign impulse travellers over their decision threshholds – it should be a real tournament. It will be worth coming. They may not have to endure Kiwi triumphalism in its home territory. 

An All Black loss will not necessarily hurt National in the polls. When people are upset, afraid, feeling insecure about the future, they o turn to what they know as long as it has not lost credibility (or gone past its use-by). If they have an underlying feeling that they are in worrying times they certainly will not turn to a Labour Party that projects no strong leadership.

On the other hand if the Cup gamble for the government does not pay off financially and they have to stump up for all the shortfalls that will flow from serious over expectation of visitor numbers and visitor spending, blame will fall to the government. They've invested too much in hyping it to escape scot-free if attendances disappoint.