New Zealand police are preparing for a spike in violence if the All Blacks fail to win next year's Rugby World Cup, the Dominion Post newspaper reported Saturday.

"The possibility that the All Blacks will lose has entered into our risk management," commissioner Howard Broad said as police studied the impact sports losses had on crime rates internationally.

Superintendent Grant O'Fee, in charge of policing the World Cup, said that after a Scottish Cup football final between Glasgow clubs Celtic and Rangers, Strathclyde police saw an 80 percent increase in reported domestic violence.

"Now 80 percent in reported family violence is very significant - only a small proportion of family violence is recorded - so that got us pretty excited and we discussed it with our partners at the (women's) refuge and we've looked at our own statistics," O'Fee said.

"When I saw those Strathclyde ones I was bloody horrified."

In New Zealand, there is no discernable increase in domestic violence on rugby-Test weekends whether the All Blacks win, lose or draw.

"That's not to say nothing happens, because the refuge tell us that they definitely do notice a bit of a change but nevertheless it's nothing like the significance of that one in Scotland."

Broad told an "Alcohol Causes Violence" conference that alcohol and unforeseen adverse events could lead to problems such as violence in the home.

"The potential and scarcely foreseen possibility that the All Blacks will lose has entered into our risk management but we've been dealing with it very clearly because we don't want to be seen planning for that to occur," he said, drawing a laugh from the audience.

Women's Refuge said it had been working with police to counter the potentially negative effect of the World Cup on domestic violence.

International research showed that, when sporting events went wrong, there was a spike in domestic violence, spokeswoman Kiri Hannifin said.

"So if the All Blacks, dare I say it, lose next year, those people who have a tendency to be violent, this may give them an excuse to be more violent or to be violent again."

Despite the All Blacks frequently starting World Cups as overwhelming favourites they have not won since the inaugural tournament in 1987.

A British news website this week labelled the 1999 All Blacks' World Cup side, who lost in the semi-finals, as the biggest chokers in sport history heading a list that included golfer Greg Norman, sprinter Asafa Powell and tennis players Tim Henman and Andy Murray.

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