Bill Beaumont and WR

[beckett50]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/52522728

Now that Bill Beaumont has been re-elected as the head of WR for the next 4-years I was disappointed that this interview made no mention of the constant Law tinkering.

On the plus side he is promising to focus more on the 'Tier 2' nations to ensure better competition at forthcoming RWC tournaments. This has been happening anyway and I think that WR could use a revised global calendar to encourage more "cross Tier" matches.

I hope that Augstin Pinochet continues to make 'noises off' and puts himself in pole position to replace Bill, as he has some excellent ideas to grow our wonderful game.

 

[Not Kurt Weaver]

I hope that Augstin Pinochet continues to make 'noises off' and puts himself in pole position to replace Bill, as he has some excellent ideas to grow our wonderful game.

excellent ideas? such as

 

[didds]

excellent ideas? such as

whether theya re excellent may vary person to person but here's one report on them


https://www.thenational.ae/sport/ru...s-the-time-to-change-rugby-s-future-1.1006151

didds

 

[crossref]

If just one of the 6N countries had voted against him, he would have lost

I wonder what promise was made to , I don't know , say Italy, to secure their 3 votes ?

 

[Not Kurt Weaver]

whether theya re excellent may vary person to person but here's one report on them


https://www.thenational.ae/sport/ru...s-the-time-to-change-rugby-s-future-1.1006151

didds

your statement is an accurate description of that particular article

 

[SimonSmith]

Pichot?

You mean the ****nut who sat on the Board of USA Rugby and didn't do anything as USA R went belly up? That ******?

This one? https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby...-interest-cast-doubt-on-agustin-pichots-plans

Yeah. No thanks.

 

[beckett50]

Pichot?

You mean the ****nut who sat on the Board of USA Rugby and didn't do anything as USA R went belly up? That ******?

This one? https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby...-interest-cast-doubt-on-agustin-pichots-plans

Yeah. No thanks.

Interesting read It does intimate that he was parachuted into the position at USA Rugby by WR as a condition of the original bail out.

One does wonder who made the decision to move the 7s Tournament from Vegas to LA - knowing there was a contract in place.

Perhaps the world order does need a shake up, and whilst his World League plans may have alienated the likes of Georgia and the South Sea nations it would appear - from the closeness of the final tally of votes - that he may have appeased them?

Either way it means that Mr Beaumont cannot rest on his laurels.

FWIW I would love to see the RWC held in USofA - perhaps jointly with Canada?

 

[SimonSmith]

"Parachuted" as a euphemism for "forced on to" - yes. (And we will likely get something similar as a result of the latest bailout. The terms of the loan are...interesting.

The move wasn't at the instigation of USA R, who were perfectly happy with Las Vegas, as were the majority of paying punters.

Unless something radical happens, the WC shouldn't come here. Half empty, or worse, stadia won't be a good look.

 

[Not Kurt Weaver]

Unless something radical happens, the WC shouldn't come here. Half empty, or worse, stadia won't be a good look.

Is a stadium half empty or half full?

 

[SimonSmith]

In front of TV audiences? It's bad

 

[didds]

... which is why for televised fixtures with limited ticket sales the seats are ALL on the side opposite the cameras.

didds

 

[beckett50]

Unless something radical happens, the WC shouldn't come here. Half empty, or worse, stadia won't be a good look.

I'm not sure there will be "...half empty...stadia..." as the World fan base will ensure the matches are well attended. How many empty stadia were there in Japan? Not many, and the TV people will ensure that they look full by clever camera angles.

I think that hosting the RWC in the USA will be boost that game needs to gain traction. Host cities can be places like Vegas, San Francisco, Detroit, New York and Washington. Match scheduling can take care of time zone issues.

 

[belladonna]

It's true that empty stadiums RWC are not a good look, and I can't understand why it happens time after time... Yet another unfathomable aspect of WR?!? RWC pool matches didn't sell out here in the UK (quite recently) nor in SA (many years ago).

Perhaps the expense of overseas travel and accommodation puts people off... but then again, when I was living in SA I watched Wales play NZ at the RWC (with Lomu steamrolling Iain Evans) at an Ellis Park that was embarrassingly empty... maybe about one quarter full? I was single at the time with no children, so I had some disposable income - but I still felt it was hysterically expensive and way out of reach of the ordinary fan. And I could only justify the expense of going to one of Wales's pool matches, despite being a Wales fan living right there on the doorstep of the tournament.

And I didn't even bother when it was here in the UK as it was just too expensive - and with family responsibilities, I had less disposable income (and time!)

 

[crossref]

It's true that empty stadiums RWC are not a good look, and I can't understand why it happens time after time... Yet another unfathomable aspect of WR?!? RWC pool matches didn't sell out here in the UK (quite recently) nor in SA (many years ago).

Perhaps the expense of overseas travel and accommodation puts people off... but then again, when I was living in SA I watched Wales play NZ at the RWC (with Lomu steamrolling Iain Evans) at an Ellis Park that was embarrassingly empty... maybe about one quarter full? I was single at the time with no children, so I had some disposable income - but I still felt it was hysterically expensive and way out of reach of the ordinary fan. And I could only justify the expense of going to one of Wales's pool matches, despite being a Wales fan living right there on the doorstep of the tournament.

And I didn't even bother when it was here in the UK as it was just too expensive - and with family responsibilities, I had less disposable income (and time!)

too many seats distributed by allocation, and not enough simply sold on the open market at the stadium filling price

Seats are reserved or allocated to clubs, societies, players, unions, vips, players, staff , blazers hangers on, match officials etc who then don't use their allocation.

If you have paid to see Romania v Namibia , you will turn up and take your seat

If you have been given a free ticket a few days before by the committee, who were scrabbling to give away ten . Those seats will often end up empty

 

[SimonSmith]

I'm not sure there will be "...half empty...stadia..." as the World fan base will ensure the matches are well attended. How many empty stadia were there in Japan? Not many, and the TV people will ensure that they look full by clever camera angles.

I think that hosting the RWC in the USA will be boost that game needs to gain traction. Host cities can be places like Vegas, San Francisco, Detroit, New York and Washington. Match scheduling can take care of time zone issues.

Nobody, but nobody, in their right mind would consider hosting an event in Detroit. It isn't a major rugby playing hub, and frankly is a shithole. Chicago, maybe.

LA or San Fran, maybe. Washington and New York, maybe, but they generally share the same rugby audience. Vegas is viable.

Here's the thing: USA R has only been able to "fill" a stadium when the All Blacks are in town. I went to RFK to see Wales/South Africa in 2018. A rundown, shabby stadium, and they only managed to get 21,357 people to attend on a day when there wasn't any rugby in competition for eyes. No amount of clever TV angles will be able to make up for that kind of thing.

All the ideas about this could be the kick start that rugby in the USA needs just betrays an inherent lack of understanding about where rugby sits in the American sporting landscape.

 

[crossref]

i am not sure I would expect any world cup to kick start a sport, any more than hosting an Olympics causes people to take up athletics.

in the last 10 years in the UK the one thing that has made an enormous, enduring difference to participation in running is parkrun. Not hosting the Olympics

 

[menace]

I'm just glad to know that "shithole" isnt on the censored list. Thanks SimonS. :wink:

 

[Not Kurt Weaver]

Nobody, but nobody, in their right mind would consider hosting an event in Detroit. It isn't a major rugby playing hub, and frankly is a shithole.

Apparently you are not familiar with the Windsor ballet.

I'm just glad to know that "shithole" isnt on the censored list. Thanks SimonS. :wink:

Some people, not I, think the use of "shithole" to describe Haiti, El Salvador and some parts of Africa as racist. Frankly, I'm surprised Simon would use it to describe Detroit knowing the sensitivity attached to the term.

 

[Dickie E]

All the ideas about this could be the kick start that rugby in the USA needs just betrays an inherent lack of understanding about where rugby sits in the American sporting landscape.

Is the 1994 FIFA World Cup a good, or bad, comparison?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_FIFA_World_Cup

Despite the host nation's lack of soccer tradition, the tournament was the most financially successful in World Cup history; aided by the high-capacity stadiums in the United States, it broke the World Cup average attendance record with more than 69,000 spectators per game, a mark that still stands.[1][2] The total attendance of nearly 3.6 million for the final tournament remains the highest in World Cup history, despite the later expansion of the competition from 24 to 32 teams (and from 52 to 64 games), which was first introduced at the 1998 World Cup and is the current format.

and 7s rugby too seems to have been well accepted:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_Sevens

Tournament attendance has grown rapidly since its inception in 2004. The tournament drew 15,800 fans in 2004,[10] 25,000 fans in 2007,[11] 35,773 in 2008,[1] and 37,000 fans in 2009.[12]
The tournament switched to a three-day format in 2011.[2] The 2012 tournament's second-day attendance of 30,112 set a new record for the largest crowd to watch a rugby event in the United States.[3] The 2013 tournament broke attendance records again, with total attendance of 67,341.[4] The 2014 tournament again saw record attendance, with 68,608 fans, despite the fact that the tournament had been moved to January to avoid the 2014 Winter Olympics.[5]

 

[didds]

.... "shithole"... knowing the sensitivity attached to the term.

Not in the UK there isn't.

A shithole is simply that. End of.

No sensitivity associated with it here.

didds