2023 RWC Buildup, Squads, Fixtures 'etc'

typhoony

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121108901#Comment_121108901

I'm convinced our organization and determination on the ground to get things done right would have overshadowed any shortcomings. I predicted there would be some issues in France a few months ago as I said I have first hand experience of French incompetence, the contradiction is that it's my favorite place to go on holiday. I don't think we should bid again, I read somewhere that most countries that have held big sports tournaments have suffered a financial loss

typhoony

Also 65 million was to have been allocated for stadium upgrades, I think it was one area we couldn't compete with france

Burkie1203

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121111740#Comment_121111740

Taofifanua led with his elbow. Was never legal to begin with

Dillonb3

Crowd were getting on the French players' backs at some stages during the game. Jaminet was getting a few boos when kicking for the 3 points when Uruguay were on the up

Hippo

It shows exactly what can happen when the B team is sent out, there's quite a gap. We weren't great against Samoa until a few of the grown-ups came onto the pitch.

It was such an entertaining game, Uruguay really put it up to them. It shouldn't be such a surprise in a way, they've been on an upward trajectory for a while and for a tiny nation they have always punched well above their weight - in football for example.

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121111800#Comment_121111800

The financial loss is difficult to quantify because the exposure of the country on a world stage is impossible to put a value on while the interest generated in the sport among the public is equally impossible to put a value on.

Yes the pure fiscal costs might outweigh the income but that doesnt mean its not worth doing.

OldRio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121111740#Comment_121111740

There is no mitigation.

Crash

A couple of takeaways:

The Uruguayan try that wasn't- I'd LOVE to see the complete chaos if they called decoy runners blocking against everyone this weekend. I don't think that gets called up for another team. Maybe there's a little extra subtlety in how the big teams do it, but the results the same. Pretty unfair.

I think they'll persist with the bunker system, and hopefully get it right, but so far it's a shambles of inconsistency. It's so bad I actually feel pity for Tom Curry - thats how bad it is.

Who is Uruguays attack coach? They had a pretty effective multi layered attack that I wasn't expecting from a team of their size. Whoever it was should take a bow, they've done a lot there.

And finally on world cups - I think it's important to keep in mind that there are different styles of world cups- there's expansions like Japan, NZ was smaller, more intimate, France is the mega scale one - hopefully each has their place in the future, and we'd be more like NZ. That said, money might talk too strong here.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121111305#Comment_121111305

Plus, if that cross-continental Super Rugby tournament can take off, Uruguay and Chile will have a proper professional structure & feeder system to keep the improvements iterative and upward; no more than our provinces acting as the foundation to a strong national team. It's great to see 'cos a competitive South America is better for global rugby than Argentina floating about as the single gold standard (though you'd have to imagine their neighbours looked at what they achieved and said "why not us?")

As to Brazil: does rugby there even stand a chance? I know Argentina's a soccerball country but it had that European influence shaping a strong, if niche rugby culture. Does Brazil have anything even remotely like that? I see their Super Rugby team finished dead last, only managing 2 wins.

Nermal

The bunker should have been implemented as a single remote location for all games, as it is in the NRL.

If staffed by a smaller single crew there might have been a better chance of consistent outcomes.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121111004#Comment_121111004

The Romanian scrum half cut a fairly astonished figure when he dotted down against us too!

ersatz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121111857#Comment_121111857

This stuff is quantifiable. Ireland already has a massive tourist industry and lacks capacity in many locations so Im not sure about the marketing aspect. Yes it would be a boost for rugby but that's an internal rugby issue, not something a pile of taxpayer money should necessarily be spent on.

lawrencesummers

With the RWC going to The USA the development of the game really needs an American competition between the 8/9 nations.

Maybe the opportunity of a promotion playoff against the lowest placed team in an expanded rugby championship (Fiji / Japan) would work wonders.

pickarooney

Someone has been busy updating the Uruguayan players' stats on allrugby. Between the live site and the cached version all the forwards have gained at least 10kg since yesterday!

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121111979#Comment_121111979

Its not quantifiable, its guesswork the exposure thats generated, the goodwill that comes about and the impact it has on kids getting involved in a sport is not easy to measure.

So the pennies might not add up but the value thats generated goes much further.

One college football game has been valued at Eur 147 million to the economy. Thats an estimate, or guesswork. It could be more.

Look at what the ryder cup will bring to adare. A much needed bypass that wouldnt happen as fast otherwise.

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121111999#Comment_121111999

Pain-au-chocolat ?

ersatz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112005#Comment_121112005

It is quantifiable as much as an estimate can be: 40k visitors spend x on hotels, travel, food, tickets, etc. The marketing aspect is equally well understood because its basically advertising and there have been numerous case studies that are comparable. These average values are well known and quite precise. Its how the US college game in Croker was given a value well before it happened. "The value generated much further out" is not well known and that's what represents the opportunity cost. Expand a venue in Cork for the rugby or spend the money on a hospital. We know exactly the payoff for the latter.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112092#Comment_121112092

Right, but that's the direct spend, not the indirect spend which is what was being highlighted.

Also expanding stadium vs hospitals is a false dichotomy. We also don't know the exact payoff of the latter.

bingobango12

Feel rugby is on the cusp of losing the respect to the officials if this goes on. Nobody is going to get 100% of decisions correct but they can’t keep getting big ones wrong. The tier 2 teams also seem to always get the raw deal.

Have seen it in the Premier League in football, referees are appalling and are beginning to be seriously disliked/abused. Rugby isn’t far away unless they can get a handle on the inconsistencies and poor decisions.

Cookiemunster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112005#Comment_121112005

There is zero guarantee that the Adare bypass will be ready by the Ryder Cup. It's a topic for a different forum, but they need to be starting construction by early 2025 to have any chance of making that date. And it hasn't even gone to tender for construction.

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112556#Comment_121112556

It will be done. The same as the three lanes to nass was done in time for the Kclub ryder cup, tats the thing with government. When they actually want something done it will be done.

leakyboots

Skelton out for the weekend and possibly the tournament

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121113211#Comment_121113211

Literally, and in all ways, a big loss.

snotboogie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112092#Comment_121112092

Irelands professional sporting infrastructure is massively underdeveloped and there is billions of productive spend available. An unlikely 2035 World Cup bid would be an opportunity to upgrade facilities that need to be modernised and or expanded anyway like; the RDS, Tallaght, the Sportsground, Casement and Musgrave. Look at New Zealand WC in 2011, every city in the country with a population over 50k had a decent municipal stadium with a 15-20k capacity. It would mean centralising the bid and ditching the likes of Kerry, Kilkenny and Mayo but it would give us stadiums that could be used for multiple sports long into the future and could help start a legacy of a better standard of build for sporting infrastructure in Ireland.

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121113211#Comment_121113211

Absolutely huge loss for Australia.

Paul Smeenus

Is it just me or have more teams lost important players through injuries in training than actual games?

Skelton, Marx, Muntz, Conan, Menoncello, Jordie Barrett. Dave Cherry as well, less vitally for Scotland.

Cookiemunster

Cherry wasn't injured while training. He apparently fell down the stairs in the hotel.

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121113487#Comment_121113487

The stadiums you mentioned wont ever be municipal unfortunately, and the gov will never build municipal stadiums in places where they exist already.

The only thing that can be hoped for is a government ruling that any organisation which gets public funding must have to make the venue available to rent by other organisations.

There should be no congress needed for Rugby to be played in a GAA ground built using public funding.

ionadnapokot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121113731#Comment_121113731

Tupou (hamstring) and Skelton (calf) both played 69mins v Georgia.

Beirne, POM, Lowe, Aki, Ringrose, Keenan all played 80min v Romania. It was ridiculously warm in Bordeaux (36 DegC +)

Sweltering heat >Dehydration>Injuries

Paul Smeenus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121113774#Comment_121113774

Skelton's injury occurred in training, though, they've been very clear about that.