The £80 million redevelopment of the Eden Park stadium in Auckland, the venue for the tournament's opening match between the hosts and Tonga, as well as both semi-finals and the final, is on course to be completed six months ahead of schedule.
The stadium is expected to open with a capacity that has increased from 45,472 to 60,000 late next year.
However, in sharp contrast to the Rugby Football Union's bid to host the 2015 tournament, the progress has been heavily dependent on large scale investment from the New Zealand government.
Not only has the redevelopment of Eden Park been government funded, but a further £15 million of public money has been invested in stadium upgrades in Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson and Whangarei.
The government is also underwriting two-thirds of the predicted tournament loss, estimated at £8.2 million.
However, with 60,000 rugby supporters from across the world expected to visit the country during the tournament, the government has predicted a £413 million boost to the economy.
The UK government's contribution to England hosting the 2015 tournament has been to underwrite £25 million of the £80 million host fee.
"Rugby World Cup Limited is extremely confident that, as we reach this landmark, planning and preparation is on track and is ahead of previous Rugby World Cups," said Kit McConnell, the RWC 2011 tournament director.
"Some of the tournament's important building blocks are now in place, including the pool allocation draw, match schedule and selection of venues. We are well on target to meet the key deadlines and early next year the first phase of ticket sales is due to go on sale."
Wednesday's milestone was celebrated in New Zealand with a special government function in Wellington, hosted by New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, to kick off a week of planning meetings between RWCL and Rugby New Zealand 2011, which is partly owned by the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and the NZ government.
"The two years to go countdown is a significant operational landmark for what is one of the five largest sporting events in the world," said RWCL chairman Bernard Lapasset.
"Operationally, of course, there is still much to do, but today represents another exciting milestone in planning for the tournament."
Fourteen countries have qualified for the tournament, with the six remaining places to be confirmed over the next year.
The top 12 ranked countries, including England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales from the 2007 tournament in France, automatically qualified while Canada and Samoa have since qualified.
At the halfway stage of the European Nations Cup, Georgia, Russia and Portugal are in pole position, with the top two qualifying directly.
(Source: Telegraph.co.uk)
