Six Nations Championship Venues

[Joop20]

Originally Posted by likasz

Rugby is popular in only few countries because national teams of England, RSA, Australia, Wales, France or New Zeland don't want to play with countries where rugby is a new sport.They even don't have to play in the qualification round to World Cup.

Take a look at this map, and you know your statement makes no sense:



You're wrong that countries qualify automatically for a rugby world cup. The rule is that the first 3 teams in each pool of the previous world cup automatically qualify for the next world cup. This means that 12 teams have already qualified for the 2011 world cup, but 8 countries can still qualify through playing qualification rounds.
I guess that traditionally, Rugby has only been popular in the UK and it's former colonies, and in France and maybe Argentina and Italy. Increasing the popularity of a new sport in a country isn't something that happens overnight, so you can't expect developing rugby countries like Georgia or Japan to be succesful overnight.
Nontheless, the Rugby world cup is one of the largest sport events in the world.

[likasz]

I'm right.France, England, RSA, Australia, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland are already in WC 2011.So they don't have to play with Romania, Georgia, Japan, Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic or Portugal.It's not good for development of rugby.

FIFA World Cup without team from top 5 is quite possible but Rugby WC isn't

[G.C.]

Originally Posted by parcdesprinces

Not for rugby, the team of Ireland is a selection of best players from Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The anthem played is "Ireland's Call", an anthem for all Ireland. In the tournament, Ireland is United, even during the Northern Ireland conflict.

"Side by side
We stand like brothers
One for all and all together
We will stay united through darker days
And we'll be unbeatable forever

Iiiiireland, Iiiiiiireland !
Together standing tall
Shoulder to shoulder
We'll answer Ireland's call....."

DO you really want to get into a political debate which you will loose?

[Welshlad]

Originally Posted by G.C.

DO you really want to get into a political debate which you will loose?

WTF mate, who mentioned anything about politics, the only one looking for a debate is you, he simply stated that the Irish Rugby team represent the whole of Ireland, which they do.

loose = lose

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by Joop20

Nontheless, the Rugby world cup is one of the largest sport events in the world.

Well, 'large' is subjective. It's probably about as big as the World Ice Hockey Championships or World Baseball Classic. Large? It's top 20 and significant, but like the other ones I've mentioned, doesn't find universal appeal.

[bigbossman]

Originally Posted by isaidso

Well, 'large' is subjective. It's probably about as big as the World Ice Hockey Championships or World Baseball Classic. Large? It's top 20 and significant, but like the other ones I've mentioned, doesn't find universal appeal.

i'd disagree about the WBC. Which is only 1 tournament old.

[BobDaBuilder]

European rugby needs to get nations like Spain, Russia, Belgium, Germany and Portugal up to a higher standard.

Maybe have a relegation/promotion setup for the bottom two nations to drop down.

Also, Italy should play in the north, which is where rugby is played.

Personally I would play out of San Siro. It would make a superb rugby ground. Rome ain't a rugby town.

In anycase, Milan is the 'real' capital of Italy. Rome is for the tourists.

[bigbossman]

A relegation system would be good, Italy never got a chance to build on there two wins from a few years back, now they are going backwards, it took france a very long time to be successful (1950s), they need to plant the game where it is biggest

[parcdesprinces]

Originally Posted by bigbossman

A relegation system would be good, Italy never got a chance to build on there two wins from a few years back, now they are going backwards, it took france a very long time to be successful (1950s), they need to plant the game where it is biggest

It already exists between a lot of Countries in Europe:

Six Nations B
(At present, there is no promotion or relegation between the Six Nations B and the Six Nations). And, I think, that will not change until the 22nd century .

Division 1 (France B played it until 1997)
Georgia
Germany
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Spain
Division 2A
Belgium
Czech Republic
Moldova
Poland
Ukraine
Division 2B
Croatia
Latvia
Malta
Netherlands
Sweden
Division 3A
Andorra
Armenia
Lithuania
Serbia
Switzerland
Division 3B
Austria
Denmark
Norway
Hungary
Slovenia
Division 3C
Bulgaria
Finland
Greece
Israel
Luxembourg
Division 3D
Azerbaijan
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Cyprus
Monaco
Slovakia

Winners:


1935-1936 : France
1936-1937 : France
1937-1938 : France
1938-1939 : France
1953-1954 : France B
1966-1967 : France B
1967-1968 : France B
1968-1969 : Romania
1969-1970 : France B
1970-1971 : France B
1971-1972 : France B
1972-1973 : France B
1973-1974 : France B
1974-1975 : Romania
1975-1976 : France B
1976-1977 : Romania
1977-1978 : France B
1978-1979 : France B
1979-1980 : France B
1980-1981 : Romania
1981-1982 : France B
1982-1983 : Romania
1983-1984 : France B
1984-1985 : France B
1985-1986 : France B
1986-1987 : France B
1987-1989 : France B
1989-1991 : France B
1991-1992 : France B
1992-1993 : France B
1993-1994 : France B
1994-1995 : Russia
1995-1997 : Italia
1997-1998 : Spain
1998-1999 : not played
1999-2000 : Romania
2000-2002 : Romania
2002-2004 : Portugal
2004-2006 : Romania
2006-2008 : Georgia
2008-2010 :

[bigbossman]

yeah but you can't get into the 6 nations which is where it is slightly flawed.

[berkshire royal]

That’s the problem with rugby and the way it's run in general they don’t try to expand it into new markets. This world cup coming up should be going to Japan but instead it's going to New Zealand, by choosing NZ the controlling bodies missed out on a great opportunity to expand the sport into a new market. There is no doubt more needs to be done and I can think of a few things that can be done. Firstly the Italian clubs should bet allowed into the Magners League or the French League, yes I know it doesn't make sense geographically but it would be plausible and it would allow their teams and players to play in a higher quality competition. I think they should let in 1/2 teams from the smaller nations into the Heineken Cup, they should play a tournament between the champions of the teams from the six nations B and below and then let the winner and maybe the runner-up into the Heineken Cup. Also they should play those nations in full tests more often.
And when will they let Argentina into the tri-nations they are clearly good enough so why not let them in?

[CharlieP]

Originally Posted by BobDaBuilder

European rugby needs to get nations like Spain, Russia, Belgium, Germany and Portugal up to a higher standard.

I predict that Russia will qualify for the next World Cup, which should speed up their development no end.

[bigbossman]

Apparently rugby is the most popular sport in parts of georgia.

Also IRB or whoever shot Romania in the back, in the 1980s they competed, but unlike italy they haven't kicked on, they had the potential.

i agree the game definately should look to expansion rather than consildation!!

[Walbanger]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joop20
Nontheless, the Rugby world cup is one of the largest sport events in the world.

Well, 'large' is subjective. It's probably about as big as the World Ice Hockey Championships or World Baseball Classic. Large? It's top 20 and significant, but like the other ones I've mentioned, doesn't find universal appeal.

Well mate if you do a little reading you will find that the Rugby World Cup is generally considered the 3rd largest Sporting event in the World behind the FIFA WC and the Summer Olympics (obviously then daylight). The last 2 tournaments have reached an audience of over 3.5 billion people and have rivaled the FIFA world cup in average attendences of 38 282 and 47 150 respectively.

[CharlieP]

Originally Posted by bigbossman

Apparently rugby is the most popular sport in parts of georgia.

Rugby is really growing in Georgia - they've had 60,000 plus crowds in Tblisi against Russia, and after RWC 2003 the Georgia president promised to build a number of rugby stadia in the country.

Also IRB or whoever shot Romania in the back, in the 1980s they competed, but unlike italy they haven't kicked on, they had the potential.

Romania were strong in the 1980s because the national team was heavily backed by the Communist party. When Ceaucescu was overthrown and the government collapsed, the Romanian federation effectively lost all its backing and needed the IRB's support to keep it going.

i agree the game definately should look to expansion rather than consildation!!

The game is always looking to expand - just watch Total Rugby (the IRB's weekly TV programme) to see all the initiatives that are happening across the globe...

[limerickguy]

croke park is my favourite stadium in the tournament..unreal size and very loud too!

[EuropeWord]

Beautiful stadiums, except the Stadio Flaminio. I have never been on any of them, though. However, I may have the opportunity this year.

[parcdesprinces]

Originally Posted by isaidso

Well, 'large' is subjective. It's probably about as big as the World Ice Hockey Championships or World Baseball Classic. Large? It's top 20 and significant, but like the other ones I've mentioned, doesn't find universal appeal.

World third largest sporting event....

The 2007 Rugby World Cup is now the world's third-largest sporting event, behind only the FIFA World Cup and the Summer Olympic Games. Two million tickets have been sold for the tournament with an expected television audience of four billion in over 200 countries.

By comparison, the NFL estimated its worldwide TV audience for Super Bowl XLI at approximately one billion.

University of California, Berkeley.

Rugby World Cup Will Be Largest Global Sports Event This Year
The Rugby World Cup, which begins September 7, will be the “most popular global sporting event of the year,” as it drew a worldwide TV audience of over 3 billion people when it was last held four years ago, according to a cover story by Kemp & Szalai of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The event ranks third among the most-watched sporting events worldwide, behind the FIFA World Cup and Summer Olympics. The Int’l Rugby Board (IRB) holds world TV and marketing rights, reportedly worth over $200M. Setanta Sports holds the exclusive rights to live games in the U.S. and Canada, and the net is offering PPV games and broadband subscriptions via Setanta.com. In Demand is offering 23 live matches for $24.95 per game (the final will cost $29.95), or a package for all its coverage for $199.95. Versus will also air some of the tournament.

SPONSOR DEALS: The IRB has signed EDF Energy and Peugeot as its main sponsors for the event, and also has deals with financial service provider Societe Generale, Visa, Heineken, Toshiba, Emirates Airline, telecom firm Orange and consulting firm CapGemini. Meanwhile, the U.S. national team recently signed a deal with Sony to promote its Bravia line of TVs, and England national team member Jonny Wilkinson has been featured alongside Galaxy MF David Beckham in TV ads for adidas (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 8/24/2007).

[Joop20]

Originally Posted by isaidso

Well, 'large' is subjective. It's probably about as big as the World Ice Hockey Championships or World Baseball Classic. Large? It's top 20 and significant, but like the other ones I've mentioned, doesn't find universal appeal.

Lol...

[NeilF]

For last year's tournament, the Stadio Flaminio had its capacity increased by about 6,000 with the addition of extra seating at either end of the stadium. Given that the Stadio Luigi Ferraris only has a capacity of about 36,000, so I don't see why Italy would make the move out of Rome for an extra 6,000 seats. The Stadio Olimpico is probably much too large just now and the athletics track would make it terrible for watching rugby - football in athletics stadia are bad enough but when the ball is almost always in hand or on the ground in rugby, good rugby stadia require a particular set of criteria to be good for watching the sport in. The new Juventus arena is about the only stadium I could think of that it would worth Italy's time moving to at the moment.

Originally Posted by G.C.

Dublin, Ireland
Croke Park, during the refurbishment of Lansdowne Road Stadium (2007-2010)
82,300 Seats

Republic of Ireland.

For the purposes of an all-Ireland rugby team, Croke Park (and Dublin) is in Ireland. To follow the logic of your argument here, you should also suggest that the other stadia be changed to "Cardiff, United Kingdom", "Edinburgh, United Kingdom" and "London, United Kingdom." The teams from England, Scotland and Wales are national representative teams of countries that are not independent sovereign states. Ireland also does not exist as a sovereign state but the rugby team is the national rugby team of the whole island.

Just as Cardiff, Edinburgh and London are in both the United Kingdom and Wales, Scotland and England respectively, Dublin is in both Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Given the area and people the team represents, it's equally as correct to say "Dublin, Ireland" as anything else. Your comment is totally unnecessary for the discussion of these stadia and I'm not sure if it's one made for effect or if it is a serious representation of the insecurity with which a large number of people view the status of Northern Ireland. It's needless on a forum specifically designed for the discussion of sports stadia.