Credit crunch can't stop Japan's RWC bid

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

Undeterred by the global financial crisis, Japan is eager to host some of the world's biggest sports events over the coming years.

Japan is bidding to stage the 2015 rugby World Cup, the 2016 Olympic Games and the soccer World Cup in 2018 or 2022.......

.....By the end of July this year, Japan will have learned whether it has won the right to host the rugby World Cup in 2015 after missing out to New Zealand for 2011.

Japan rugby coach John Kirwan says Japan's economic strength and cutting-edge facilities should make the country the favourite in the eyes of the International Rugby Board (IRB).

"The whole world's in recession but Japan's bubble burst 15 years ago," the former New Zealand great told Reuters. "They will come out of recession before anyone else.

"By 2015 Japan will be in better shape than anyone else in the world. It's a no-brainer."

Japan faces opposing bids from Australia, England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa and Wales.

Kirwan added: "People asking whether Japan has the infrastructure are ignorant. The last thing Japan needs to do is spend money on infrastructure.

"I was at Toyota Stadium the other day -- over 40,000 seats with a retractable roof. It was minus 3 Celsius and I had a warm seat. It was freezing but my bum was warm!"[/b]

http://www.rugbyheaven.co.nz/4836972a22428.html

I'd like to see the World Cup move away from the traditional rugby playing countries and playing it in Japan would certainly achieve that. The only reservation I'd have about awarding 2015 to Japan is that their national team isn't competitive enough and I'm not sure 6 years is enough time to bring them up to speed (by that I mean challenging for a quarter final spot). Awarding the 2019 World Cup to Japan would give them plenty of time to further professionalise the Top League and hopefully improve the standard of domestically produced players.

In that regard, I'd like to see 2015 go to Italy who are further along in their development, have government backing for hosting the competition and have never hosted the competition before. 2019 seems to me to be the most opportune time to award Japan the hosting rights.

 

[Sir Speedy]

I was expecting to read 'Credit crunch can't stop Japan's HOVERING STADIUMS!'
Ah well, this is good news too.
It'd be nice to see it hosted in a new country, rather than a loop of NZ-England-SA-Wales-Australia-France-NZ-England...

 

[dundeesmiffy]

I agree, and it'd be a good excuse to go to Japan.

 

[Prestwick]

Ditto what everyone else said.

I think this should be more about spreading the message of Rugby rather than developing teams. Japan is very fertile and a World Cup would boost its domestic competition. Even if the IRB set the price for 2015 and 2019 much higher Japan would still probably be pretty enthusiastic about hosting it.

I think you're going to see the likes of Japan, China, Russia, the Middle East and the USA all starting to be more competitive for bids on a purely commercial basis and while this may mean bad news for the traditional top five (Scotland especially as they seemingly depend on weasling Edinburgh into the fixture list of any NH RWC) I think it'll be good for world rugby as a whole and to be brutally honest, any notion of running a world cup for wholly altruistic purposes went out of the window after RWCs 1999 and 2003. Its all money money money now baby!

 

[An Tarbh]

my only reservation with giving the world cup to Italy and Japan is the type of stadia that would be used, as we've seen with the football world cups held there we're primarily dealing with venues that have the athletics tracks around the pitch so that lessens the atmosphere. It's only a small point but a pet hate of mine.

Obviously for the IRB to have any credibility after the 2011 farce, they really need to be seen to spread the message.

 

[Fa'atau82]

Prestwick will be thrilled. His biggest two loves. Rugby and anime porn all in one place!

 

[An Tarbh]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Fa'atau82 @ Feb 13 2009, 08:38 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Prestwick will be thrilled. His biggest two loves. Rugby and anime porn all in one place![/b]

that's if they let him in

 

[Prestwick]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (An Tarbh @ Feb 13 2009, 08:32 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

my only reservation with giving the world cup to Italy and Japan is the type of stadia that would be used, as we've seen with the football world cups held there we're primarily dealing with venues that have the athletics tracks around the pitch so that lessens the atmosphere. It's only a small point but a pet hate of mine.

Obviously for the IRB to have any credibility after the 2011 farce, they really need to be seen to spread the message.[/b]

Japan didn't have that problem as their stadia was purpose built for Football. Any stadia that did have athletics tracks were either modified or were relegated down to the group stages. I think Osaka's stadium was a case in point.

For the most part though most if not all of Japan's FWC 2002 Stadia was either brand new or nearly new.

And yes they'll let me in, oh they'll let me in all right

 

[An Tarbh]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Prestwick @ Feb 13 2009, 08:52 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (An Tarbh @ Feb 13 2009, 08:32 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

my only reservation with giving the world cup to Italy and Japan is the type of stadia that would be used, as we've seen with the football world cups held there we're primarily dealing with venues that have the athletics tracks around the pitch so that lessens the atmosphere. It's only a small point but a pet hate of mine.

Obviously for the IRB to have any credibility after the 2011 farce, they really need to be seen to spread the message.[/b]

Japan didn't have that problem as their stadia was purpose built for Football. Any stadia that did have athletics tracks were either modified or were relegated down to the group stages. I think Osaka's stadium was a case in point.

For the most part though most if not all of Japan's FWC 2002 Stadia was either brand new or nearly new.

And yes they'll let me in, oh they'll let me in all right
[/b][/quote]

Yokohama, Shizuoka, Osaka, Sendai, Oita and Niigata all had athetics tracks during the world cup and they were used in the knockout stages. The stadia may have been brand new. Having said that there was still a good atmosphere at games during that tournament but what crowds will we see at matches involving Georgia and Portugal in these massive venues.

 

[Prestwick]

Those grounds were really cleverly designed. Theres this (very Rugby orientated) fear that an athletics track will always equal a poorer viewing experience but if you design the stadium properly you can keep the atmosphere at the games.

As for crowds, its how they market it but I think you will get substantial crowds if you get it just right.

EDIT: Also, the city of f***uroi hosted the Shizuoka stadium.

 

[An Tarbh]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Prestwick @ Feb 13 2009, 09:17 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Those grounds were really cleverly designed. Theres this (very Rugby orientated) fear that an athletics track will always equal a poorer viewing experience but if you design the stadium properly you can keep the atmosphere at the games.

As for crowds, its how they market it but I think you will get substantial crowds if you get it just right.

EDIT: Also, the city of f***uroi hosted the Shizuoka stadium.[/b]

it's just a case of being further away from the action which is my issue, you get it at Croke Park for rugby as well even though the view is completely unrestricted.

 

[bojangles26]

good to no someones not getting a bail out