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Wasps to Coventry: Your Views

Does put things into perspective a bit - although not quite the same thing.

Heineken, how you feel if four weeks into the next Super XV season, without saying a word to the fans, the Bulls announced that they'd had a far better commercial offer to play in Kimberley instead of Pretoria and would be moving there in a month?

I feel that is a comparable hypothetical scenario.

Lol, come now, use an example more in perspective. It would be unfair to compare a move from Pretoria to Kimberley, with a move from London to Coventry. Kimberley is more than 1000km's away from Pretoria.

If the Bulls had to move away from Loftus, because it's a better commercial offer, then so be it. It's a company and their aim is to make a profit and make sound financial decisions. Because I'm a passionate Blue Bulls supporter I'd still go and watch them no matter where they will be based.

My tongue in cheek comment was just to point out that 70 miles is not that big of a deal. it's an extra hour out of your way to the game. Do what I do, put in some amped up music in your car, and play it loud all the way to the stadium.
 
Lol, come now, use an example more in perspective. It would be unfair to compare a move from Pretoria to Kimberley, with a move from London to Coventry. Kimberley is more than 1000km's away from Pretoria.

If the Bulls had to move away from Loftus, because it's a better commercial offer, then so be it. It's a company and their aim is to make a profit and make sound financial decisions. Because I'm a passionate Blue Bulls supporter I'd still go and watch them no matter where they will be based.

My tongue in cheek comment was just to point out that 70 miles is not that big of a deal. it's an extra hour out of your way to the game. Do what I do, put in some amped up music in your car, and play it loud all the way to the stadium.

It is and it isn't. I mean, yeah, the physical distances are very different, London to Coventry is still doable while obviously Pretoria to Kimberly isn't - but it's the same principle. A club has without anything said removed itself from the community it has built around itself. It's the feeling of betrayal as much as anything. You wouldn't feel betrayed if the Bulls decided they were no longer Pretoria's team?

And, yes, it's only an extra hour - although plenty of people were taking that hour or more already. But we don't live in a huge country. We're not used to huge distances. We don't budget for lots of petrol for making them regularly. By British standards, this is a considerable inconvenience. Maybe it's not by absolute standards, and maybe that makes us soft. But that's the way it is.
 
For Durban based Springbok fans the distance to Maputo is less than it is to Pretoria.
And for Londoners it only takes 2 hours to get to Paris.

The distance (although very inconvenient) isn't the main issue.
 
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It is and it isn't. I mean, yeah, the physical distances are very different, London to Coventry is still doable while obviously Pretoria to Kimberly isn't - but it's the same principle. A club has without anything said removed itself from the community it has built around itself. It's the feeling of betrayal as much as anything. You wouldn't feel betrayed if the Bulls decided they were no longer Pretoria's team?

And, yes, it's only an extra hour - although plenty of people were taking that hour or more already. But we don't live in a huge country. We're not used to huge distances. We don't budget for lots of petrol for making them regularly. By British standards, this is a considerable inconvenience. Maybe it's not by absolute standards, and maybe that makes us soft. But that's the way it is.

I get that. But lets look at it then another way.

Take the Lions for example (the Golden Lions from Johannesburg, not the B&I Lions). Their base is Ellis Park in the middle of Joburg, or as I like to call it, Little Lagos. For years all of the fans have been pleading for them to move because of the surrounding neighbourhood and that fans don't want to risk their lives on their way to the game even if it's just a 10 minute drive. The fans want them to move to Soccer City in Soweto, which is about 30km's away from Joburg's main centre.

The thing is, it's an inconvenience for the fans, but for the team, management and the company in charge it's not, so while they want to keep their fanbase happy, it's not an economically feasable option.
 
Sunlight in Scotland:rolleyes:
Anyway the pitch at Murrayfield has been replaced with a new hybrid pitch that should have sorted the problems caused by the ringworms that had infested it.

Glad they listen to me!!!
 
Murrayfield had a great pitch before the nematodes, which was a bit bit of a freak event, I think... I've never heard of it happening before.
 
*sigh*
How many times do we need to tell you, yes.
Top flight rugby has been played there already, including Heineken Cup and EDF Anglo-Welsh Cup (back when it kind of meant something) semi finals.

Yes that means that RICOH Arena pitch meets the minimum size for official competitions, but I want to know the exact pitch size there. Is the width 70m? Is the length of field of play 100m? How long are ingoals?
 
Yes that means that RICOH Arena pitch meets the minimum size for official competitions, but I want to know the exact pitch size there. Is the width 70m? Is the length of field of play 100m? How long are ingoals?

It is 105 x 68 m when used for football. But the 100x70m size is the maximum with a 22x70m max for the in goal area.

the law in full is as follows.
1.2 REQUIRED DIMENSIONS FOR THE PLAYING
ENCLOSURE
(a) Dimensions. The field of play does not exceed 100 metres in
length and 70 metres in width. Each in-goal does not exceed 22
metres in length and 70 metres in width.
(b) The length and breadth of the playing area are to be as near as
possible to the dimensions indicated. All the areas are rectangular.
(c) The distance from the goal line to the dead ball line should be not
less than 10 metres where practicable.

http://www.rfu.com/managingrugby/cl...acilitiesandequipment/irbpitchdimensions.ashx

Edit to add so it is the same size as the City of Manchester Stadium, Elland Road, St James' Park and Villa Park.
 
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Yes that means that RICOH Arena pitch meets the minimum size for official competitions, but I want to know the exact pitch size there. Is the width 70m? Is the length of field of play 100m? How long are ingoals?

If it didn't meet the minimum requirements , then it would never have been accepted as a Heineken Cup Semi Final venue? The two things are linked you know!
From memory, the in goals weren't huge, but big enough.
Edit: according to wikipedia, the pitch dimensions are 105m by 68m. So must be 100m + 2x2.5m in goals, which sounds about right from what I rememner .
 
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Ricoh is a fine stadium with hotel and huge indoor arena there too only fault I'd say is it pure isolated away out by motorway.
 
If it didn't meet the minimum requirements , then it would never have been accepted as a Heineken Cup Semi Final venue? The two things are linked you know!
From memory, the in goals weren't huge, but big enough.
Edit: according to wikipedia, the pitch dimensions are 105m by 68m. So must be 100m + 2x2.5m in goals, which sounds about right from what I rememner .

I do not think so. 2.5m is too short. The length of field of play must be shorter than 100m. As far as I remember, the minimum length of field of play is 97m?
In my opinion, the length of field of play should be 93m, and ingoals are 6m*2 (total 105m). Do you think that 93m is too short?
 

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