QuoteOriginally Posted by Macy
Removed that foot from your mouth yet Macy??
Snoop - please read what I've said in all my previous posts. I listed Georgia because they take rugby seriously (it being their 2nd most popular sport. And yes - they do have other sports there...), NOT because they're any good at it!
Please accept the fact that the 2nd most popular sport in Georgia is rugby. Snide remarks over semantics doesn't change that...
And your comment re the relative balance of Scotland v Brazil in football and Georgia v NZ in rugby just goes to show the inherent imbalance/farce in 'world' rugby. Hosting World Cups in countries where rugby is unlikely to grow much more won't help to address that.
Last edited by dcfcsteve; 23/11/2005 at 9:12 AM.
Removed that foot from your mouth yet Macy??
What about this indeginous game you mentioned? less popular than rugby? Ans ice hockey- Huge in soviet states.
Anyhow Im bored with this arguement now (short MTV generation attention span). You win steve- Georgia are a top tiered rugby team...
Here Snoop - why can't you just accept that rugby is the second most popular sport in Georgia ? That's a fact. Even your beloved Wikipedia concurs
Thats bigger crowds than Ireland get....
And for the last time, as I've stated all along they are most definitely NOT a top-tier rugby team in any sense other than the popularity of the game in their own nation.
I'm getting your MTV subscription cancelled....
Last edited by dcfcsteve; 24/11/2005 at 12:13 AM.
I might just do that-MTV is sh1t these days anyway.
I'm getting your MTV subscription cancelled....
The International Rugby Board have reaffirmed their commitment to the global game following heavy criticism for awarding the 2011 World Cup to New Zealand instead of Japan.
The Japanese bid team had neatly positioned themselves as the only choice for the future of the game and were angered by the results of last week’s secret ballot in Dublin.
Australia and England both quickly revealed they had voted for Japan – but at least four of the leading nations are understood to have sided with New Zealand.
Japan’s bid chief, former prime minister Yoshiro Mori, accused the established unions of protecting their monopoly on hosting the World Cup and declared: “The ideal of rugby has disappeared with this decision. Only the interests of the bigger unions remain.
“The established nations keep passing the ball around their friends. World rugby has lost a big opportunity because of this decision.”
The IRB today issued a detailed response, highlighting the work being done to develop rugby around the world and insisting the sport’s global future is not dependent on which union is selected to host a World Cup.
The IRB statement read: “Since the announcement of the host union for Rugby World Cup 2011 there has been a lot said and written about the future growth and development of rugby worldwide.
“The IRB would like to make it very clear that there is in place a fully-funded strategic plan for the development of the game. The IRB is totally committed to making rugby a truly global sport.
“It must be remembered that there is much more to the successful development of rugby worldwide than the awarding of a tournament to a single host nation.
“It is what happens during the rest of the four-year cycle and beyond that really grows the game.
“Investment in infrastructure, high performance initiatives, development programmes and tournament structures worldwide on a consistent basis and over a long period are the keys to success.
“The IRB is working hard to put the initiatives and programmes in place to drive and manage this development.”
What countries got a vote? Surely not just the big nations? Imagine if that happened with FIFA?
I'm guessing all members of the IRB (or at least senior members) got a vote, as the combined voting tally was approx 90. Then again - that's making the dangerous assumption it's one Union, one vote....!What countries got a vote? Surely not just the big nations? Imagine if that happened with FIFA?
Ireland definitely voted for New Zealand - having originally promised their vote to South Africa - and actually lead the initiative to makle the vote a secret ballot. They didn't even want the split of total numbers in the vote made public in-case they were caught out. However - it was, and they were.
Look forward to NZ opening the new Lansdowne Rd, and a few other test games from them, in the next 4 years as our 40 pieces of silver....
It is a true democracy. We got 2 votes along with the other 7 IRB nations.Japan and the other nations got 1 each.
The IRFU should hang their heads in shame here. Although they succeeded in keeping it a secret ballot it is well known that we changed sides. Watch out for New Zealand opening the new Lansdowne road and becoming much more frequent visitors here.
Having been to Japan for the football world cup I can testify that a rugby world cup there would have been a huge success. If you must go to a traditional nation then south Africa has the infrastructure and the stadia and the Euro friendly timezone for TV. NZ is rugby daft but with crumbling stadia and poor infrastructure especially a distincy lack of hotel beds this has been a terrible choice.
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