Glass ceiling challenge for Scotland at World Cup

• The Forsyth Barr stadium in Dunedin, above, will have a transparent roof based on technology used at the Eden Project. Picture: Getty

Andy Robinson's squad will begin the 2011 tournament in New Zealand against either Romania or Uruguay - who play off for the final tournament spot in November - in the southern-most point of Invercargill, on Friday 10 September. However, when they pitch up in Dunedin to face Georgia, now coached by former Scotland coach Richie Dixon, on Wednesday 14 September the two nations will become the first to play an international rugby match in a fully enclosed stadium.

Many teams have played in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium with its retractable roof closed, including Scotland, but the Otago venue being built to replace Dunedin's famous Carisbrook ground will have a clear roof with new technology that lets sunlight in but cannot be opened.

It is being built with the new ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) technology used in the 'Water Cube' at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the Eden Project in Cornwall, where giant domes have been created with the strong, lightweight and transparent material said to weigh one per cent of a piece of glass with the same volume.

The development is estimated to cost the New Zealand government around 94m, with a 30m contribution from the private sector and 10m from Otago University, whose campus in the north of the city it will adjoin. Gregor Townsend, Scotland's assistant coach, has been shown the plans and believes it will be an fascinating addition to the World Cup.

He said: "It is an exciting development and I'm sure it will add to the excitement around the World Cup next year. Myself and Guy Richardson (former Scotland team manager] were shown the stadium plans when we were in New Zealand last year on a recce for the World Cup and they were very impressive.

"I think it's great that we are going to be involved in the first international there and I'm sure the players will enjoy it. At the moment it seems a long way away because our whole focus is on the three autumn Tests, and you can't really look beyond the first one, against New Zealand, but I know that when we get around to thinking about the World Cup again playing in a state-of-the-art stadium will just heighten interest."

The development is linked to a major spend by New Zealand on World Cup venues with Auckland's Eden Park at its heart.The Dunedin stadium has endured some local opposition and has had several names since the start of construction, from New Carisbrook to Dunedin Stadium, Awatea Street Stadium to Otago Stadium.

However, insurance brokers Forsyth Barr are estimated to have paid around 5m for the naming rights, so the famous Carisbrook name that has witnessed historic rugby and cricket matches, and was originally taken to New Zealand by an English settler, will die, the last Test match there having been the All Blacks' defeat of Wales in June. In a city full of Scots names, the new stadium is situated next to the Water of Leith, and Martin Snedden, the RNZ 2011 chief executive, stated that it would be ready on time.

"Eden Park will be open for business on October 10, which is a great achievement, all other major stadia redevelopments will be finished this year and the new Otago Stadium is on track for completion next year," he said.

"The 'stadium of four million' is coming alive, something we see every week as we travel through New Zealand."

Individual tickets for the 2011 World Cup, priced from around 15 to 240, went on sale on Friday, until 8 October, 2010, with only supporters who have bought pool match tickets able to enter the ballots for semi-final and final tickets.

The organisers have also launched the 'Real New Zealand Festival', a major tourism project encompassing a vast array of events across the country to encourage supporters to see more of the North and South Islands in between the matches. For a flavour, look up the 'Shout it Out video' on You Tube, while a free hotline has been set up to help UK rugby fans with accommodation (0808 234 9376 or email [email protected]) as New Zealand pulls out the stops to ensure a tournament that beats all others.

To see a virtual overview of the new Forsyth Barr stadium, go to www.youtube.com and search for 'dunedin stadium'.