General Rugby Discussion 3

Burkie1203

Scary stuff

https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/59142623

RichieRich_89

I he using it as an excuse for the domestic abuse?

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118114024#Comment_118114024

It doesn't appear so - In one of the other articles on the subject he specifically mentions the issues around the domestic abuse and explicitly says that he was not making excuses for his behaviour (even though to be fair it may have been a significant contributing factor).

sydthebeat

Happy days!!!

 

All Black and Highlanders loosehead prop, Ethan de Groot has signed a new contract that will keep him in the deep south.

de Groot, currently with the All Blacks on their Northern tour, had a breakout season for the Highlanders in 2021. The former Southland Boys High School player debuted for Southland in 2018 as a 20-year-old. After being picked up by the Highlanders in the 2020 squad he went on to debut in July against the Chiefs and less than 12 months later debuted for the All Blacks against Fiji. 

Lost Ormond

Really dont like these comments from the Rugby Australia chairman about potential of USA hosting next world cup.

Theyre the only two countries still in running right now and decision is next May.

“The one thing I’d say is that in the US, rugby is a relatively immature sport. Objectively, they’ve got to build a team up.

“You saw the score for the US team against the All Blacks – I think they need time to invest in their team and build their stocks up."

Rugby is growing in US and a world cup could boost playing numbers hugely. They werent competitive against New Zealand but hosting a world cup could boost the sport and help them close the gap which a 3rd world cup on Australian soil wont do

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118147693#Comment_118147693

Agree - If the US hosted a World Cup and they got good TV coverage it could do wonders for the sport there.

Obviously having a competitive host nation is desirable , but equally all those American football players seeing lots of high level rugby and thinknig that they could make a career in it could be huge.

If the outcome of a WC in the US was a few of the bigger Colleges getting investment in starting/growing a Rugby program that could make a huge difference to the long term viability of the sport there.

Dave_The_Sheep

I'm still pissy about 2023. So I want neither to get the World Cup. In fact, cancel it. Nobody gets one from now on.

hold my beer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118147734#Comment_118147734

Yeah I'm still well pissed off about 2023.

molloyjh

It’s gas, the USA shouldn’t get the RWC because the game is still being grown over there. Instead it should go to Australia where the interest in the game is diminishing. I do hope that line of thought back fires on them in exactly the way you’d expect. In fact, should anyone from the RWC bid team in the US be reading this, simply respond by saying the US is the future, Australia is the past. They deserve it.

salmocab

I’m not sure how great an American World Cup would be, the games so spread out (presumably) whilst is often the thing that’s done but in ‘rugby’ countries, would I think serve to dampen the atmosphere. America could eat a World Cup and barely notice it’s going on,

Dubinusa

Think the U.S would be a great option for hosting the world cup. It would get a lot of attention here. That is good for the sport. Australia has hosted it before! Time to expand the game.

pickarooney

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118147726#Comment_118147726

I've never understood why there isn't like an NFL division 2 or something. There's an relatively tiny number teams scattered around a huge country, surely there's a market for a slightly less lucrative league? I know they have college football but it's amateur. Football players who aren't quite good enough for the NFL might maybe be interested in rugby but why would professional rugby work if professional lower level gridiron doesn't?

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118148625#Comment_118148625

They've tried a few times, but it just never takes off. The NFL itself is fine being a cosy closed club so it doesn't try and help these endeavours. And they have enough players constantly coming out of college football to not have to worry about it.

Any rugby world cup in the states is going to run into the problem of competing with football season and not just NFL. Fridays is high school, Saturdays is college and Sundays is NFL and they are all huge. You would need to try and get the NFL at least on board somehow I think - using their stadiums and cross promotion and whatnot.

Dubinusa

I believe Kraft is on board. Thr owners generally are favorable to hosting events at their stadium... brings in $$$.

I suppose they would have to play the world cup early. But it's worth it, imo.

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118150959#Comment_118150959

Would many of the NFL Stadia be suitable for Rugby ?

Aside from most (all?) being Astro-turf , NFL pitches are shorter and quite a bit narrower than a Rugby pitch , would there be space to fit the pitch in etc.?

Happy to stand corrected , but I don't think any Internationals have ever been played on artificial turf so far have they?

salmocab

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118151459#Comment_118151459

I’d say there’s room to install a pitch in most as they tend to have huge areas around the pitch and some were designed to take soccer too. Cant see any games being played on Astro though.

Captain_Crash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118151459#Comment_118151459

A good few of them have grass pitches and rugby is regularly hosted in NFL stadiums so there’s no issues fitting a rugby pitch in!

pickarooney

I think I read the other day that over 50% of NFL pitches were grass.

salmocab

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118153753#Comment_118153753

I vaguely remember something a few years back about teams going back to grass for either injury or possibly performance reasons.

Happydays2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118147734#Comment_118147734

I think France should host every tournament but only if cardiff and edinburgh get a few games.

OldRio

World Rugby wanted RSA to get the 23 World Cup but France got the vote. (The superior security in SA put paid to our bid) Yup I'm still pissed by that.

World Rugby will dress the USA bid as growing the game, huge potential and sleeping giant etc etc.

'Show me the money' would be a more apt turn of phase.

OldRio

South America could be where the biggest potential to grow the game lies.

*I've no idea why my last post couldn't be posted and as ended up as 2 posts.

This new site is utter utter tosh. *

RugbyLover123

France really shouldn’t have got 2023 - it should’ve gone to Oz, then east coast of US in 2027. A joint Argentina/Uraguay one would be pretty cool, especially if they get the football in 2030 then a lot of the stadiums will be upgraded.

OldRio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118154807#Comment_118154807

I didn't think Australia put a bid in for the 2023 World Cup.

Rugbymad2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118154697#Comment_118154697

The way Ireland put their bid forward was a disgrace.behind closed doors with each union promising the world.all other bids from the other nations were done in one room with all involve openly.also Ireland used the queens one day visit as an example of how they can run an event.world rugby didn’t want that as they stated each country had to prove they could host a massive event over a few weeks with infrastructure and security at the top of the list.Ireland couldn’t do that.

OldRio

Sooooo we are in agreement that Australia didn't bid?

salmocab

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118155897#Comment_118155897

This is the internet you may go elsewhere if you want agreement.

OldRio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118156129#Comment_118156129

Indeed. Facts are a casuality of this post modern world.

Dubinusa

I was upset that our bid fell short. If the game is to grow, it must be championed in growing rugby nations. Canada would be a good option. South America also.

I doubt we'll ever get to host the world cup. It's a shame really, I think we'd have done a fine job!

ersatz

On the question of rugby appealing to former football players in the US and it's potential, there is a program to convert football players happening and I think a couple of them have already been capped by the US team. Some guys I coach with are making a tv series about it, you can see some clips here.

https://rugbyfactory.tv/rugbytown-season-1