The partygirls Not for the Boks; South Africa beware. You’ve a turncoat in your midst. Zimbabwe-raised Tracey Mann, right, cheered the Boks home at last year’s World Cup but will be chanting for the All Blacks tomorrow night. Landing at the University of Otago’s Hayward College residence this year forced her rugby conversion. Mann, 19, is joining Kiwi housemates Jessica Deacon, 19, left, and April Woodall, 18, middle, at Carisbrook tomorrow night. “A bit of Kiwi pride just to keep safe at the House of Pain,” Mann jokes. “You’ve got to convert when you come to Otago. You’re not a scarfie unless you’re standing in the rain with your paint on.”

The fanatics No turning the other cheek; The Springboks are heading for a down-trou – no butts about it. That’s the call from cheeky Dunners cycle courier Dave Bourke (right), who’s looking forward to his own momentous footy outing tomorrow. Bourke is poised to become the only player in the nude touch rugby game at St Kilda Beach to front for all five games. “It’s just something fun to do before the Test,” he chuckles. Getting his kit off for the goose-pimple gallop is no big deal for Bourke, 41. He once turned up to a fancy dress party as Adam – wearing nothing but a well-placed leaf. Kick-off is 3.30pm.

The faithful Sisters have faith in the ABs; They're Dunedin’s most passionate and unlikely rugby supporters. Centenarian Sister Dominic (front) and Sister Mary Pat and their fellow Sisters of Mercy in South Dunedin will be in front of the TV tomorrow night urging the All Blacks to victory. Sister Dominic, who turned 100 last January, is as old as Test rugby at Carisbrook. Her favourite players of all time are two of Otago’s finest: Jeff Wilson and Taine Randell – a photograph of them taken at Carisbrook sat on her window-sill for years. With her sight fading, Sister Dominic will be listening more than watching the game tomorrow night. Sister Mary Pat’s love of rugby made world news in 2001 when the All Blacks last played Australia at Carisbrook and she was interviewed by BBC radio. Tomorrow’s result? No surprises here: “Go the All Blacks.”

Dunedin is effectively auditioning as a host city for the 2011 Rugby World Cup – and hopes of nabbing a prized ABs pool game are soaring.

World Cup organisers hit town this week to meet key figures chasing tournament action for the Otago-Southland region.

And the whirlwind sell-out of 29,000 seats at the ’Brook almost a month before kick-off – not to mention the citywide surge of excitement for our first Test in three years – can’t help but impress.

Pool game bids are expected by the end of October, with allocations due to be made next March.

This week’s meeting – which follows three earlier round-tables – is a chance for those promoting the south to bone up on the stringent requirements of Rugby New Zealand 2011, the company running the World Cup.

Bids to host the cup quarter-finals close next Thursday, with Dunedin almost certain to dip out because it lacks the size and infrastructure to handle the sharp end of the tournament.

International rugby bosses have expressed a preference for the quarters to go to just two cities, leaving Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch jockeying for position.

Auckland already has both semi-finals and the final locked in at Eden Park. Both Dunedin’s plan­­­ned $188-million roofed stadium (with about 30,000 seats) and Carisbrook (29,000 seats) don’t meet the 35,000-seat capacity required to nail a knockout match.

But Stuart Heal, our regional bid co-ordinator, says this weekend’s House of Pain bonanza is a great leg-up for snaring earlier cup action, including one of the four All Blacks pool matches.

“If we can put on a good (Springbok Test), we’ll go a long way towards strengthening Dunedin’s case for the Rugby World Cup 2011.”

Doubt hangs over the city’s new Awatea Street stadium being ready for the cup kick-off, with objectors shaping to fight proposed zoning changes to the district plan.

Any reversal or significant hold-up will likely delay construction – and risk killing a cup christening for the showpiece venue.

That would put Carisbrook centre stage for a mighty last hurrah.

Rugby NZ 2011 chief Martin Snedden says his team is mindful of Dunedin’s tricky situation and the possible need for flexibility.

A decision from an independent commission hearing on the new stadium’s proposed zone changes is timetabled for December – but any subsequent appeals to the Environment Court could stymie stadium developers until after pool games are allotted next March.

Snedden says promoting Carisbrook for the cup would be up to those backing the bid.

“We have time to allow these guys to work through ... They’ve been addressing challenges and obstacles now non-stop for a long time. And they’re pretty dogged and they make progress.

“We recognise what they’re doing and therefore we don’t want to be hasty in terms of cutting them off at the pass.”

Otago Rugby Football Union boss Richard Reid is relaxed about a prospective cup venue.

“If the new stadium’s ready, we use it, and if it’s not, we use Carisbrook.”