Big Foreigners [edit: NOT] Due in 2011

[Mulboyne]

BBC: Japan wants 2011 World Cup

Japan will bid to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup, and so take the tournament outside the sport's traditional strongholds for the first time.
"Until now, the World Cup has been held in countries from the Six Nations or Tri-Nations," said Japan Rugby Football Union secretary Koji Tokumasu. "We think, and the IRB thinks, that it is time for rugby to go global.
"Japan is ready to host the tournament and we are looking forward to welcoming the world of rugby to Japan."
Tokumasu added that the 2002 soccer World Cup, co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, had been a huge success. "As well as having the infrastructure in place, Japan also has the commercial clout to host one of sport's top competitions," he said.

Worldcupweb: South African bid running into trouble

Japan's bid, which is being driven by former prime minister Yoshiro Mori, who is an avid rugby enthusiast, is regarded as a commercially powerful initiative that is seen as appealing to the International Rugby Board's efforts to market the game globally.

Mori should be a big help: Mori: Gaffe-prone leader

He has assured a place in the headlines through an astonishing series of gaffes, from recalling Japanese wartime militarism to urging voters to stay in bed.
His speech in Japan's second city of Osaka back in 1998 is unlikely to have won many friends. "Lowbrow sex industries are always created first in Osaka," he told a party seminar. "Excuse my language, but it is a spittoon."
In January 2000 he did little to endear himself to Aids sufferers in what he intended as a self-effacing joke about his first election campaign in 1969.
Mr Mori quipped that the voters could not have vanished faster if he was an Aids patient.
The following month he used the millennium computer bug scare to illustrate differences between Japan and its ally, the United States.
"When there was a Y2K problem, the Japanese bought water and noodles. Americans bought pistols and guns," he said. "If a blackout happens there, gangsters and murderers will always come out. It is that kind of society."

[Buraku]

What happens when these big rugby players want to visit debitos onsens

http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=popvox&id=518

No foreigners

[Mulboyne]

BBC.com: NZ eyes Japan as joint Cup host
New Zealand Rugby Union chairman Jock Hobbs told the Sunday Star-Times that he had had a "couple" of "very cordial meetings" with the Japanese. Hobbs said New Zealand would prefer to be sole hosts and that teaming up with Japan was a "secondary option". But New Zealand's small population and limited infrastructure meant the chance of a sole hosting was remote. South Africa is the other leading bidder.
Hobbs said there would be logistical difficulties to a joint bid, most obviously the distance between the countries. A flight from Auckland to Tokyo takes 11 hours, and 14 hours the other way.

[Blah Pete]

Although I don't know much about rugby I do know a joint Cup hosting between New Zealand and Japan will not work...

[Mulboyne]

NZ battle Japan in bidding war
Japan's rugby boss is preparing to go to war with the NZRU for the right to host the 2011 World Cup. Chairman Noboru Mashimo told New Zealand's Sunday News he has no intention of joining forces with New Zealand as the battle for hosting rights heats up. Recent reports suggested the two countries would join forces to fight off the challenge from South Africa. NZRU chairman Jock Hobbs was quoted saying joining up with Japan was a "secondary option". But Mashimo yesterday said he had no intention of aligning his union with the NZRU. "We are focusing on our bid," he said from Tokyo.
Mashimo said Japan didn't need, or want, New Zealand to help run the cup. He also questioned the validity of reports suggesting he had requested a meeting with NZRU officials when he was in New Zealand in August to discuss a joint bid.

[Mulboyne]

The Australian: Japan offers the whole package for World Cup

LAST week saw the end of the bidding process for hosting the 2011 Rugby World Cup, and when the dust had settled we found that New Zealand, South Africa and Japan were in the frame...Japan will be desperately searching for friends and hoping to raise more than a squeak in the corridors of the massive foundation union. But here is one vote for Japan. I hope and pray that the 2011 tournament is played in the Land of the Rising Sun. When Japan announced that they were bidding, the Kiwis immediately saw a chance to host part of the tournament, should Japan be awarded prime host status. But there was no largesse in their offer. Effectively, they were saying that they wanted to take away a chunk of the action and money, and they were also prepared to dynamite completely the focus of the tournament. Had any joint bid succeeded, it would have made the whole game a laughing stock. Good on Japan for telling New Zealand to take a walk...Japan has a real fervency about rugby, which is now being re-established after a period when football was dominant there. Japan has created a vivid super league, their clubs are rich and successful and they can promise decent crowds. They can also promise rugby players and supporters one of the great cross-cultural experiences. Rugby was once, and must again become, something to be enjoyed away from the field too, and it is high time that the sport and the culture of Japan were embraced by the wider world.

[ichigo partygirl]

As a Kiwi and huge rugby fan id love us to get the cup - especially since those aussies took co-hosting rights off us for the last cup over some advertising.
I dont think we could do it alone though. We simply just dont have the hotels, transport, and other infrastructure to support such a huge event. The lions tour this year is proving to be a big enough challenge. But i dont think there is anyway that japan and NZ could co-host. ONe the distance and two Japan. After co-hosting the soccer world cup the japanese want all the glory.
I think it would be good for rugby for the cup to be in Asia. I think it will come down to a fight between South Africia and Japan.

Meh either way its all good. Ill prob be in Japan anyway!

[American Oyaji]

I hope Japan gets it.

Any FGs going to Beijing for the Olympics?

[Mulboyne]

Fox: World Cup may reach Japan
YOKOHAMA would be an excellent venue for the 2011 rugby World Cup final, International Rugby Board chairman Syd Millar said overnight. Japan is bidding against rugby superpowers New Zealand and South Africa for the right to bring the World Cup to Asia for the first time. Millar praised the 70,000-capacity International Stadium Yokohama, where Brazil beat Germany 2-0 in the 2002 football World Cup final, on a three-day visit to Japan. "I think it's an excellent stadium and it would certainly be worthy of the World Cup final," said Millar. "We're building a new stadium in Dublin. If we could shift this stadium to Dublin, I'd be happy."

[Mulboyne]

News24: Millar refutes Japan support
IRB chairperson Syd Millar has on Tuesday refuted misleading media reports that claimed he has given his support to the Japan Rugby Union's tender to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Prior to speaking to the media in Japan he made it quite clear he was not in Japan on RWC 2011 business. Nor would he speak about the Rugby World Cup. However, one of the questions put to him was on the Yokohama Stadium and whether it was worthy of hosting a Rugby World Cup final, to which he replied yes. This in no way reflected an opinion that Japan should host the RWC 2011.

[devicenull]

I hope Japan gets it.

Any FGs going to Beijing for the Olympics?

Going? hah, I'm already here

[Mulboyne]

Japan Times: Rugby fans tell IRB: Give the 2011 World Cup to Japan
One man who has experience of playing in a Rugby World Cup and who now runs a successful tour company (among other ventures) is Victor Ubogu, and the former Bath player is adamant Japan should host the 2011 tournament. "It would be awesome. I really hope they win it (the bid)," said Ubogu, who won 24 caps for England...Whereas the majority of traveling fans at the soccer World Cup tend to be single men aged 20-35, rugby fans tend to be slightly older, slightly more affluent and not averse to taking the Mrs. on tour...When asked if he was worried about the cost of visiting Japan, Currie simply said, "I am from Ireland and this is Hong Kong. What is the difference?"

[Mulboyne]

Planet Rugby: New Zealand to host RWC 2011
New Zealand has won the right to host the 2011 Rugby Cup World, beating off the challenge of Japan and South Africa in the International Rugby Board's vote in Dublin on Thursday...Japanese Rugby Football Union president Yoshiro Mori expressed disappointment over his party's unsuccessful bid. "Many people supported our goal of making rugby global," said Mori. "We did not receive the exact vote but we think that a lot of sympathy was with New Zealand because they weren't able to host the World Cup in 2003. All the boys in the meeting were saying that we have to make rugby global, so why do we have to wait for another five or 10 years to make this happen?"

[ichigo partygirl]

*dancing around in circles of delight*

[Taro Toporific]

*dancing around in circles of delight*

Nooooo. It was "a setback for the globalization of the sport" according Mr. Yoshiro "Sportsmanship" Mori.

World Cup on Yahoo! ---AFP/JIJI PRESS - Thu Nov 17, 2:52 PM ET
Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) President Yoshiro Mori, seen here in 1998, said the International Rugby Board's decision to award the 2011 Rugby World Cup to New Zealand instead of Japan was 'a setback for the globalization of the sport'.

[Greji]

*dancing around in circles of delight*

Nooooo. It was "a setback for the globalization of the sport" according Mr. Yoshiro "Sportsmanship" Mori.

That was just Ichigo cheering for the possibility that the the Kiwi's will not go down in flames again

[ichigo partygirl]

Actaully you are right. We win every game between the world cups, then we get to the finals and choke. Everytime. It hurts.
Best chance we got at home.

Plus the will be an influx of males. mmmmm just like the Lions tour earlier this year. Fun Fun Fun

*Still dancing around in delight*

[Mulboyne]

Stuff.co.nz: Japan left its run too late
...Though there has been widespread criticism of the decision to pick New Zealand to host the seventh World Cup, IRB officials say it was attention to detail and thorough planning, rather than an old boys' network, that saw New Zealand succeed. Concerns about the Japanese union's ability to host a tournament the size of a World Cup, a poor track record promoting rugby in Asia and a poorly prepared initial bid tender counted against Japan...New Zealand's bid was a safe option, say bemused and angry IRB officials, but only because so little was known till it was too late about how Japan planed to run, pay for and promote the tournament.

There were major concerns about Japan's ability to organise such a massive tournament given the size of the union's infrastructure. A recent test match in Japan against Spain had received no publicity, and there was little in their initial World Cup bid that explained how the Japanese union would promote the tournament and fill stadiums. The suggestion that a tournament in Japan would also open the door to Asia was given little credence by the IRB who believe Japan has done little to promote rugby in Asia. A World Cup in Japan would not automatically change that.

Officials also say that, despite advice from the IRB on how to improve its bid tender, Japan waited till last week's final meeting in Dublin to provide the key details of its bid to delegates. With most of the delegates mandated by their unions on how to vote, Japan's final flurry was too little, too late.

[Mulboyne]

RugbyHeaven: Kiwi bid won on sympathy - Japan
The Japan Rugby Football Union remains convinced New Zealand won the right to host the 2011 World Cup on the back of a sympathy vote. More than a month after New Zealand beat off the more favoured bids from Japan and South Africa to host the four-yearly tournament, former Prime Minister and president of the JRFU Yoshiro Mori is still questioning whether the result was deserved...Mori said New Zealand's controversial loss of sub-hosting rights for the 2003 tournament with Australia played on the minds of International Rugby Board delegates. "I think there was a great deal of sympathy toward New Zealand and that was a big aspect of the voting...When they lost the right to co-host the 2003 World Cup, the JRFU and the Foreign Ministry asked me to try and mediate as we did not think it was fair if Australia got all the games. I think there were many members on the IRB Council who felt sorry for what had happened. I think they wanted to help New Zealand. They certainly didn't help us. I just hope they do the same in 2015 should we decide to put in another bid."

Mori was also critical of several aspects of the voting process at Dublin on November 17. He asked IRB chairman Syd Millar why the vote took place when two of the tender unions (the All Blacks and the Springboks) were playing Tests in Europe. Mori also enquired why there was a secret ballot this time when a show of hands had been used at previous votes. "It seems those that wanted the game to go global were open about who they voted for but those that wanted to help New Zealand wanted it to stay secret," he said. "I also enquired about the secret third-party auditor and asked why the representatives of the three tender countries were not there to oversee the counting of the votes"...

[Mulboyne]

This story isn't dead yet....

RugbyHeaven: Asia threatens to sue over Cup vote
The Asian Rugby Union has threatened legal action unless the International Rugby Board annuls its vote giving the 2011 Rugby World Cup to New Zealand, London's Sunday Times reported today. The Asian Rugby Union (ARU), of which the Japan Rugby Union is a member, has petitioned the IRB, asking for a new vote on the grounds that the previous ballot lacked transparency because the way members of the council cast their votes was not disclosed, the newspaper said. Before the IRB council voted in Dublin on November 17, New Zealand were given little chance of being awarded the World Cup ahead of Japan and South Africa.

Sunday Times rugby correspondent Stephen Jones wrote on Sunday that IRB chairman Syd Millar received a fax from English lawyers Addleshaw Goddard, acting on behalf of the ARU, requesting that a new vote takes place by March 31 "to minimise damage to the sport". Unless the IRB responded by this coming Friday, then the Asian union might take action in court under English law, "the governing law of the IRB constitution". Apart from alleged lack of transparency of the voting procedure, there were allegations of horse-trading between Ireland, whose two votes were vital to New Zealand's cause, and the New Zealand Rugby Union.

"We are aware ... that the two Irish members were encouraged to vote for New Zealand by being promised the appearance of the All Blacks at the opening ceremony of the redeveloped Lansdowne Road ground," the letter says. It also alleges that South Africa and New Zealand made a secret pact that if either were eliminated after round one of the voting, then their own votes would revert to each other. The ARU's lawyers say that, because of the secrecy surrounding the vote, nobody could be certain that procedures were not "used by council members to obtain dubious benefits for themselves or their unions", or that council members carried out the mandate of their own individual union, so that "inducements could be given with impunity".

But NZRU chief executive Chris Moller dismissed the allegations as nonsense and scurrilous. Moller told NZPA that IRB chief executive Mike Miller had phoned him on Sunday morning to say the IRB had received the correspondence and the Sunday Times was to publish an article. "In terms of the accusations in the article in the Sunday Times, in a word they're nonsense, in two words they're complete nonsense, and in three words they're absolutely complete nonsense," Moller said. "There is no way that the New Zealand Rugby Union was involved in any discussions whatsoever with the Irish Rugby Union or any other rugby union about offering additional matches against the All Blacks...Quite frankly those claims are scurrilous and completely without foundation."

[maninjapan]

Christ give it a rest Japan - you don't see France threatening to sue Great Britain after it won the right to host the olympics do you you? hehe! I would have hated the rugby world cup to be hosted here- i don't think that the country has enough spirit towards the game or enough passion either to host it.

[Blah Pete]

Part of the problem is during the Japan/Korea Soccer World Cup in 2002 the home fans didn't fill the stadiums for games not involving the home teams, especially Korea.

Not sure if there are enough die hard fans here that will pay to see games like Argentina vs. Italy in rugby.

[maninjapan]

Part of the problem is during the Japan/Korea Soccer World Cup in 2002 the home fans didn't fill the stadiums for games not involving the home teams, especially Korea.

Not sure if there are enough die hard fans here that will pay to see games like Argentina vs. Italy in rugby.

Exactly - i dont imagine too many italian or argentinian fans coming over to either country really - I don't think NZ should have got it either, perhaps should have given it to an Americas country to help boost the popularity there - it is the fastest growing global sport.

[Blah Pete]

Exactly - i dont imagine too many italian or argentinian fans coming over to either country really -

It's not that I expect lots of fans from abroad to come here, it is the Japanese who won't support it.
If the rugby WC is anything like the soccer WC the ticket distribution goes something like this:
40% of tickets to both teams involved (20% each) to be sold by the particpating countries federation.
20% for offical sponsors (Mastercard, etc.)
40% for the host nation.

It is the 40% for the host nation that will not sell unless the home team is playing.

[maninjapan]

It's not that I expect lots of fans from abroad to come here, it is the Japanese who won't support it.
If the rugby WC is anything like the soccer WC the ticket distribution goes something like this:
40% of tickets to both teams involved (20% each) to be sold by the particpating countries federation.
20% for offical sponsors (Mastercard, etc.)
40% for the host nation.

It is the 40% for the host nation that will not sell unless the home team is playing.

What stadiums were they thinking of using? If they were going to use proper Rugby stadia then it would be ok, however, if they were going to use places like the Tokyo Dome/Yokohama Stadium, or places with stupid amounts of seats then it will bomb.

I agree that the smaller teams would not nearly be as hotly watched; yet, when the world cup was in South Africa and Australia, the smaller team games weren't sold out either.

[Mulboyne]

Telegraph: Japan 10 New Zealand 11

A little-used Argentine web link has provided the answers that the rugby world has been seeking since the controversial 2011 World Cup vote in Dublin two months ago. It reveals how New Zealand won the vote over Japan 11-10, the narrowest margin in the event's history, and how Argentina, who voted for South Africa in the first round, switched to New Zealand for the second in the hope of future favours...more...

[Mulboyne]

Uninspiring video produced by the JRFU in their bid to host the Rugby World Cup. Ex-PM Mori appears 2 minutes in. Another one below manages to include a shot of a shinkansen passing Mt Fuji.

[Mulboyne]

Mainichi: Japan rugby boss says it would be 'difficult' to secure financing for World Cup

Japan's plans to host the Rugby World Cup took a hit when Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) President Yoshiro Mori said that it will be "difficult" for the government to guarantee necessary contributions to the competition's organizer. "With the world undergoing a recession, money is the big sticking point," agreed Vice President and Chairman Noboru Mashimo at a press conference. The International Rugby Board (IRB) is charging 80 million pounds (approximately 11.1 billion yen) to host the championship in 2015, and 96 million pounds (about 13.3 billion yen) in 2019. Eight countries and territories have announced their candidacy to host the 2015 World Cup. "I reckon we'll be up against England," Mashimo commented. Seven are applying for the 2019 championship, following the withdrawal of Russia. Japan is planning to hold some of the matches in Hong Kong and other locations in order to boost the sport's global appeal. The deadline for submitting candidacy documents is May 8. The IRB will announce their decision for both the 2015 and 2019 World Cups on July 28.

[Behan]

You could hear the word 'hooligan' in the medial all the time before the football(soccer) World Cup here. I wonder what we'll being hearing in the days leading up to the Rugby World Cup if it's awarded to Japan.

[Mulboyne]

An IRB vote on Tuesday will decide where the 2015 and 2019 rugby world cups will be held. England and Japan are the leading candidates for each. The Sydney Morning Herald "Monday Maul" column gives one reason why Japan lost out in its bid for 2011:

Monday Maul was in Dublin four years ago when New Zealand was handed the 2011 World Cup, even though Japan was the better bid. That afternoon, Monday Maul had lunch with a major IRB official, who said Japan was no chance because "too many involved in the vote hadn't forgotten the Second World War". Sadly, he was serious. And that decision could easily come to burn RWC and the IRB.