Our beer guide in Wellington (everyone should have one) is a knowledgeable, witty and confident MC but when the chief executive of the New Zealand Rugby World Cup organising body walks into the smart downtown bar to sample a few craft brews, our host becomes jittery.

"It's bloody 'Sir' Martin Snedden, New Zealand's most powerful and imposing person," he says, only half-joking.

It's an indication of both the profile of Snedden's job and the importance of the World Cup to New Zealanders that the former Kiwi cricketer is viewed with a mixture of reverence and trepidation.

He has been the face of the upcoming tournament for more than four years, during which time one NZ government has been replaced by another, doubts have circulated about the Kiwis' capacity to welcome a huge influx of visitors and the fallout from the earthquake in Christchurch has forced a necessarily quick and brutal decision to cut the shattered city from the Cup fixtures list.

On this day, after spending several hours trying to convince yet another bunch of narky journalists that "yes" World Cup numbers will meet expectations and "no" the cost of the tournament hasn't blown out, he's opted to join a few of his questioners for a beer-tasting session.

With little more than three months to go until the Cup kicks off on September 9 for nearly six weeks of rugby, accompanied by a nationwide festival celebrating the cuisine and culture of New Zealand, Snedden could be excused for guzzling rather than demurely sipping the selection of fine local lagers and ales, yet, despite the considerable challenges, panic has yet to subsume the 52 year-old.

"It's tough," he acknowledges. "It's a very big event by New Zealand standards, any standards, but we are headed in the right direction and believe we're on target."

Organisers still have nearly a half a million tickets to sell to the 48 matches: accommodation options will be stretched to the limit, especially around the 12 venues featuring games during the event; there have been accusations of price gouging and sales of package tours through travel agents, especially in Australia, haven't been stellar.

On the other hand, the overall number of visitors expected, including the many who are bypassing travel specialists and making their own arrangements is well above expectations (85,000 compared to 65,000 to the WC in Australia in 2003); and surveys indicate they will stay in NZ for a whopping 28 days average, far better than the projected 14 or 15 day visit.

Importantly, the style of rugby likely to be played at this year's Cup promises to be more exciting than the 2007 event in France - otherwise known as the greatest advertisement ever for rugby league - and the All Blacks, despite their relatively disappointing World Cup record seem certain to be a threat at the business end of the tournament.

The Wallabies too, look strong, good news for organisers who hope Aussies will jump on planes, en masse, to catch the team's run towards the final in Auckland on October 23 (around 29,000 Australians are expected to head across the Tasman, up from an early projection of 17,000).

The England side looms as a threat, as well, a positive for New Zealand tourism authorities who rate the 2005 British Lions' tour, and the accompanying Barmy Army invasion, as one of the most successful sporting events in NZ history.

A competitive Cup played in front of rugby-smart crowds, across a nation where the game is in the blood will be a boon for the sport, but Kiwi taxpayers are sweating on ticket sales, particularly in the wake of the Christchurch tragedy.

"We pay for everything; we pay a rights fee to the IRB (International Rugby Board) ... and the only commercial right we've got is from the ticket sales," Snedden says. "All the broadcasting money, all the merchandise money is retained by the IRB.

"The cost of the tournament is more than 300 million bucks. Our sales target is around 268 million: we're budgeting to make a 39 million dollar loss. We knew that when we went into it."

That $NZ39 million seems a relatively small price to pay for an event that could be worth hundreds of millions to the economy, but if ticket sales are below expectations, the calculation will become less tolerable, especially when many NZ cities have also embarked on costly infrustructure renovations, including millions to improve and build stadia.

Things were bubbling along nicely until the Christchurch earthquake in February. Total tournament ticket sales stood at around $189 million (about 919,000 tickets), "but then we had to cancel (and re-assign) eight matches and hand back 130,000 ticket sales," Snedden says.

Those tickets for matches now spread across the country have only just gone back on the market, but Snedden concedes a quick recoup of the Christchurch sales isn't likely. However, he takes solace from the Australian experience in 2003 when organisers sold a million tickets in the last five months before the tournament.

"I'm confident there will be a surge," he says.

Snedden adds that the Australian tournament has provided a benchmark and blueprint in other ways. "We've unashamedly copied you guys."

Specifically, taking the game to regional centres rather than basing all matches in a few large cities, was a 2003 practice the Kiwis decided to embrace.

"Permission to use 13 venues around New Zealand from the IRB was a big win for us because part of our pitch is to get the whole nation involved in it," Snedden says.

Not only will teams play in smaller settlements, they will be "adopted" by many regional centres where they will train and engage with the communities.

The welcome for the 20 teams is primed to be a typically warm Kiwi embrace and the travelling spectators will have no shortage of activities between games with the "REAL" New Zealand festival reaching every corner of the country.

Finding a bed, though, could be tricky in some centres, even with cruise ships being used to accommodate the masses.

"We do have a challenge with accommodation," Snedden says. "We don't have enough hotel rooms for sure, so we have been sending out very strong messages to the market to look at other options ... bed and breakfasts, and lodges, motels and homestays."

Indications are that the rugby enthusiasts likely to invade the Shaky Isles include "a lot more younger people than we expected". The World Cup Facebook presence has become one of the organisers best tools to drive ticket sales, according to Snedden, with the site registering one million "likes" last month and Kiwis only making up about 11 percent.

A rollicking backpackers' party the World Cup may become, but New Zealand authorities know the relatively wealthy demographic making up Australia's rugby base will play an important role in the success or failure of the tournament.

Perhaps that's why Snedden reluctantly concedes an All Blacks-Wallabies final will be a good result for the event -- though it's not clear what he told the British media a few days earlier.

(The IRB rugby World Cup begins on September 9; Greg Truman travelled to New Zealand as a guest of Tourism NZ.)