Rugby - The Ball's Out!

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by Andydog
I'll slap 30 gold on Auckland, just for a laugh.

It's easy to spot the wealthy ones here.


Welcome back Andydog!

[finbar]

Originally posted by Tamerlin
It's easy to spot the wealthy ones here.

Yeah, and you'd die of thirst waiting for him to shout.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Caligastia
Ok, I guess my bet stands then. I'm on my way to living beyond my civ-gold means! Its the american way!

Something I forgot to add. In the truly American way, if we suspect there's oil in your apartment basement, we'll be exercising our right to enter your apartment to undertake a regime change.

[Caligastia]

My apartment basement? That would be the 6th floor.

[finbar]

The apartment building's basement! D'oh!

[Havak]

It seems the RFU have upset the FFR?

Check this reaction

Personally I thought the RFU suggestion was unusual for them in that it was both radical and good. It does serve no purpose in rugby to throw teams like Romania and Tonga, at their current strength, in against the top five teams at a RWC.

And if, as the French lad says, Australia can never host the RWC again then no harm done surely?

[finbar]

Mmmm. Actually, I thought the English and French were talking about a joint WRC as per what was meant to have happened in 2003. If they weren't, they should.

Splitting the competition into two has merit. The minnows are going to learn nothing from being pasted by a top team. The Cricket World Cup operates perfectly well on two tiers with "the best of the rest" taking their place in the major competition.

I take the point about "taking the game to the world", though.

[Havak]

I disagree - what is the point of a split bid? Both England and France have the facilities to host RWCs on their own and doing so would allow us distinct identities to successive tournaments.

A joint bid is a fudge all round.

Besides as we see - both parties might fall out and create bad feeling all around before the tournament even takes place?

Nope - I'm happy to see England and France stage their own shows.

France are apparently favourites for 07 anyway so you will get one more tournament where minnows are ruthlessly slaughtered in the pool stages. How exactly can that help promote rugby?

*Thats rhetorical btw - I had noted you said a split level tournament had merit*

[Andydog]

It's easy to spot the wealthy ones here.

Welcome back Andydog!

Cheers Tamerlin!
I had the pleasure of spending two weeks in the south of your beautiful country not long ago - a bunch of us cruised the canals around the Buzet and Bordeaux regions. The food was fantastic, the wine was fantastic, and the people were fantastic - most of whom seemed to be rugby mad!

Yeah, and you'd die of thirst waiting for him to shout.

Harsh call! Finbar you of all people should realise, if I used my amassed civ gold to shout people beers, then there would be even more of: A - people talking excessively without making much sense, B - people arguing about nothing, and C - people refusing to apologise when they are obviously wrong!

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
I disagree - what is the point of a split bid?

I just saw the potential for some internal NH argy bargy, that's all.

Besides as we see - both parties might fall out and create bad feeling all around before the tournament even takes place?

Q.E.D.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Andydog
and C - people refusing to apologise when they are obviously wrong!

You've read more than one of Havak's posts too, huh?

[LDiCesare]

a bunch of us cruised the canals around the Buzet and Bordeaux regions. The food was fantastic, the wine was fantastic, and the people were fantastic - most of whom seemed to be rugby mad!

In Buzet they even organize a tournament every year, which is called "vin et rugby". It is played with teams of 7, in july, usually under a hot sun, and with plenty of wine nearby to quench the thirst...

About the 2-tiers world-cup, having 16 teams instead of 20 won't change a lot for those small nations which make it in the "top". Having a two-level competition could be a good idea, but I can't see why you would have to organize both at the same time and the same place. There already are a few cups, like FIRA, in which several countries with relatively low-level teams compete. Turning this into a wider cup and slapping some advertising could do the same job as getting a two-tier world cup...

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Havak
Personally I thought the RFU suggestion was unusual for them in that it was both radical and good. It does serve no purpose in rugby to throw teams like Romania and Tonga, at their current strength, in against the top five teams at a RWC.

And if, as the French lad says, Australia can never host the RWC again then no harm done surely?

Quite.
I have to side with the English proposal here. There are countries out there that are starving for some decent competition, Romania and Russia are perfect examples. Romania especially, as they have been close to the top in rugby before. Its a real shame to see all that potential being wasted. In fact, even if the English proposal is implimented, I would like to see an annual competition between teams at that level.

Originally posted by finbar
I take the point about "taking the game to the world", though.

Thats a part I didnt get. How is it "taking the game to the world" if the countries that are low on the rugby totem pole never get to play each other?

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by LDiCesare

In Buzet they even organize a tournament every year, which is called "vin et rugby". It is played with teams of 7, in july, usually under a hot sun, and with plenty of wine nearby to quench the thirst...

Wine and rugby......trust the French to come up with that one.

About the 2-tiers world-cup, having 16 teams instead of 20 won't change a lot for those small nations which make it in the "top". Having a two-level competition could be a good idea, but I can't see why you would have to organize both at the same time and the same place. There already are a few cups, like FIRA, in which several countries with relatively low-level teams compete. Turning this into a wider cup and slapping some advertising could do the same job as getting a two-tier world cup...

This is also a good idea. Perhaps the "second division" world cup could take place 2 years after the main competition, and repeat every 4 years. That way we would never be more than 2 years away from a RWC competition.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Caligastia
Thats a part I didnt get. How is it "taking the game to the world" if the countries that are low on the rugby totem pole never get to play each other?

They do in the qualifiers, and those who qualify meet teams of similar quality in the pool matches. The downside is that they also get smashed by the top sides.