Rugby Wc 2011

[Blaze]

IMO 7s and 15 are much different games. How many of the big names play the HK 7s?

Jonah Lomu and Christian Cullen burst onto the scene through 7's. Two of the most exciting rugby players of all time.

New Zealand these days release 1 player from each super 12 squad so potnetially there can still be star players in the tournament.

 

[shaka]

If you are going to globalise the game, what about sending more games to Nth and Sth America?

 

[marc71178]

Jonah Lomu and Christian Cullen burst onto the scene through 7's. Two of the most exciting rugby players of all time.

But where they superstars when selected for 7s?

 

[Zinzan]

But where they superstars when selected for 7s?

Marc...Just for a change why don't you just be happy for us. The decision has been made..its history now. Are you suggesting it won't be a successful world cup in New Zealand??

 

[BoyBrumby]

It's not really worth noting at all. The JRU has plenty of cash, yet continually refuses to invest in anything below the top level. Many clubs, and almost all junior clubs, play on clay, because the JRU isn't interested in helping the clubs get onto grass fields.

A bloke I know over there has been there for years and has tried to improve things for young players in his region - they've finally got grass at their club, but that was all down to their own hard work. He's keen to introduce other initiatives, but the JRU aren't interested. They wanted the money - nothing else. And thankfully, they didn't get the rights. There's a culture in the upper echelon of the Japanese Rugby Union that is taking the game backwards there, and nothing will change until their attitude changes.

Why isn't it worth noting? I'd say there's a fairly obvious cause & effect in operation there. Having the biggest tournament in the world created more of an interest in the sport & the national team has improved at least partly because of this. One of the IRB's bigger boasts is that the Union WC is the 3rd biggest sporting event in the world, so I think it would be reasonable to assume that their hosting it would create more interest in Union.

I can't comment about the lack of investment in the lower levels of Japanese Rugby for the simple reason that I don't know about it. I will say tho that it's almost always problematic to draw general conclusions from specific examples.

I'm not having a pop at NZ, as I said before I think you'll do fine hosting the tournament, but I think for the greater good of the sport Japan was the more enlightened choice. I really hope come 2015 the IRB sees the bigger picture & awards the tournament to a bid from outside of the 8 big nations.

 

[Smudge]

Why isn't it worth noting? I'd say there's a fairly obvious cause & effect in operation there. Having the biggest tournament in the world created more of an interest in the sport & the national team has improved at least partly because of this. One of the IRB's bigger boasts is that the Union WC is the 3rd biggest sporting event in the world, so I think it would be reasonable to assume that their hosting it would create more interest in Union.

I can't comment about the lack of investment in the lower levels of Japanese Rugby for the simple reason that I don't know about it. I will say tho that it's almost always problematic to draw general conclusions from specific examples.

I'm not having a pop at NZ, as I said before I think you'll do fine hosting the tournament, but I think for the greater good of the sport Japan was the more enlightened choice. I really hope come 2015 the IRB sees the bigger picture & awards the tournament to a bid from outside of the 8 big nations.

It's not worth noting because of the attitude of the JRU. Other sports may be successful in growing their sport if they held a World Cup in Japan, but the administration is stuck to its singular approach in the case of the JRU.

 

[marc71178]

Marc...Just for a change why don't you just be happy for us. The decision has been made..its history now. Are you suggesting it won't be a successful world cup in New Zealand??

Relevance to my question?

 

[BoyBrumby]

It's not worth noting because of the attitude of the JRU. Other sports may be successful in growing their sport if they held a World Cup in Japan, but the administration is stuck to its singular approach in the case of the JRU.

Surely that's a case of the tail wagging the dog? If there was sufficient interest (which would be surely be grown by hosting the WC) the game would become stronger in spite of the avarice and/or incompetence of the governing body. To go back to Associatin Football, the Brazilian FA is incredibly corrupt & their national championship little short of a joke, but they've been consistently the strongest football team for over 50 years.

 

[Zinzan]

Relevance to my question?

Your right, absolutely no relevance to your question. More a response to your general reaction to the news. Sure you may have questions and theories as to how successful it may have been in Japan. I suppose it would have been nice if you'd offered us New Zealanders some congratulations....thats all

 

[Smudge]

marc,

Are you happy or are you not happy that NZ has the World Cup 2011. If not, that's fine - it's just a bit petty otherwise hiding behind snide comments. Which I appreciate is often your modus operandi, but how about a little variety?

 

[JASON]

What an achievement by Jock Hobbs, Prime Minister Helen Clarke, Pine Tree Meads, Tana Umaga and several others in bringing the World Cup to NZ !!

Brilliant !! Congratulations!! Well Done to all involved !! I am certain that NZ the worlds most passionate Rugby loving country in the World will stage the best World Cup ever and I hope to attend as many games as I can !

 

[Craig]

Fair play to NZ, I guess it is the only country where Union is the national sport.

Still think it's a bit short sighted myself tho.

I hope you don't have any Welsh rugby fans as your friends.

IIRC it is the only country in your part of the world that can claim rugby as it's national sport. And their team attracts bigger crowds then what their footie team does.

 

[Smudge]

I take it all the NH posters who think it's short-sighted don't expect to see the Cup given to England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales or France again?

 

[BoyBrumby]

I take it all the NH posters who think it's short-sighted don't expect to see the Cup given to England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales or France again?

I fully expect it to be given to one of them (or, more likely a combo of them like "France" is going to be in 2007) as the 8 "established" nations have 2 votes on the IRB each. Turkeys don't vote for Christmas.

I'd far prefer it to go to Japan, the US or Italy.

 

[KennyD]

The other factor to consider is that in a country Japan's size (130 million people of so) I don't think it would have quite the impact that many think as many people Japanese wouldn't even know it was on, whereas in New Zealand, absolutely everyone would be buzzing.

Many Japanese people would not be interested, that is correct.

But there would be a hell of alot more people interested out of their population of 130 million than the 4 million excited New Zealanders.

 

[KennyD]

I'd far prefer it to go to Japan, the US or Italy.

I like you're attitude Dale.

 

[KennyD]

It's not worth noting because of the attitude of the JRU. Other sports may be successful in growing their sport if they held a World Cup in Japan, but the administration is stuck to its singular approach in the case of the JRU.

Rugby would also be successful in growing if the World Cup was held in Japan.

One thing that has to be rememered about the Japanese, they are fanatical. I'm telling you, as an 18 year old Japanese social commentator, Rugby would be the new baseball if the World Cup were to be held there.

One example, and I absolutely glow whenever I think of this. During my time in Japan last year, I, thats right me, I pulled crowds to our school's rugby matches. Despite having a good team, Rugby wasn't at all popular among the students, thus, the Rugby team members never pulled the chicks. The baseball players got them all. Because I was a foreigner, couldn't really speak the language, and most importantly, spoke english, I was insanely popular over there. From having about 10 students turn up at our games, we had about 200 since I started playing. Then, the Rugby players started pulling the chicks. I used to love watching their routines. They would invite the girls onto the field after the game, laugh with them as the girls would run around abit, tossing the ball. Good times, good times.

Anyway, imagine the kind of response the All Blacks, Wallabies, and bloody Dan Carter would get over there! It would have been huge.

I'm very sad that Japan missed out. But, well done NZ, I'm sure the World Cup they host will also be very good.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

Hosting the Cup will be good for New Zealand, and I'm happy to see so many New Zealanders excited about it, but I can't help but feel that the IRB missed an opportunity to promote the game on a bigger stage, not necessarily for the growth of rugby in Japan & Asia, but in terms of the sport's international profile. Having been to Japan, I can definitely say that it would've been an amazing spectacle.

 

[_Ed_]

Hosting the Cup will be good for New Zealand, and I'm happy to see so many New Zealanders excited about it, but I can't help but feel that the IRB missed an opportunity to promote the game on a bigger stage, not necessarily for the growth of rugby in Japan & Asia, but in terms of the sport's international profile. Having been to Japan, I can definitely say that it would've been an amazing spectacle.

Possibly true, but I don't think it will be that much less of a spectacle in NZ. Every stadium (and when compared with the capacities for Germany's 2006 Football World Cup they aren't that much smaller) will be packed, and the opening ceremony at Eden Park will apparently involve "the Viaduct and the Harbour", quite some fireworks display I'm guessing.

I'm really looking forward to it.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

I hope the fireworks are better than the millennium celebrations!

The atmosphere should be good, especially in the heartlands, but if the Lions tour is anything to go by, we need to lighten up a bit. It would be cool if it were like the first America's Cup. That was a feel good summer, where Auckland really adopted Prada and the Luna Rosa sailors.