The IRB are SCUM.

[gluck]

Honestly how do these bastards justify a world cup host nation getting a huge debt and then excluding potential sponsorship which helps relieve the burden. Theres no F**king way a world cup should lose money. The IRB is trying to supposedly develop the game with money that doesn't exist. I don't like agreeing with Tew but he's right on this one. No other world cup results in such a burden on the host. Stick to your guns Mr. Tew. We can organise a world cup without these scum. Have a world cup without the Southern Hemisphere nations, good F**king luck.

[ruggerfan]

The IRB is a group of members. Tew is stupid bringing this up now, who do the referees work for?
The setup and allocation of votes needs to be addressed first to stop the "home" unions closing ranks, which is the real problem. This is not the time or the place or the method to resolve this.

 Apart from that I agree IRB are a pack of old donkeys fit for the glue factory. They have proved wrong time and time again from not wanting matches televised to staying amateur to originally opposing even having a world cup. Dont even start with businesses nearby to venues having to remove signage.

 The old imperials trying to keep control of the colonies as always. Grrr Grrr mutter mutter!

[DH]

Tew is 100% right. At the very least teams major sponsors should have some access to promoting themselves & the team.

Noone wants the 2nd tier teams getting less funding (given their performances this world cup especially), but also there needs to be some compromise with Oz & NZ in particular being able to increase their revenue.

With this of course, the northern hemisphere don't care. They are perfectly happy to accept our mostly full strength sides in our off season, packing out their large stadiums year after year, while we put up with mostly (crap) 'B' teams being sent out to us every year.

England also makes a loss during the World Cup, but they are in a far better situation to absorb it.

Good on you Steve Tew!

[ruggerfan]

So do you really think an off field shitfight is cool right now? I agree about the principles of it all but - timing?
Unless of course he wants to organise a series of closed door meetings right now while everyone's here.
Just seems wrong to me, it's party time!

[Hamish]

So do you really think an off field shitfight is cool right now? I agree about the principles of it all but - timing?
Unless of course he wants to organise a series of closed door meetings right now while everyone's here.
Just seems wrong to me, it's party time!

I agree that it seems the wrong time but we don't know how long the NZRU have been pleading this case.......maybe now is the right time because we'll never have better "leverage" for want of a better word...
The scary thought is that we are basically at the mercy of the home nations (actually the English).
The RFU makes stonking amounts of money and they don't really "need" the All Blacks.....
So they can ignore us and carry on in the same fashion with two likely outcomes....
1) We back down and cave in and continue to become less and less influential (from a money = power standpoint) or
2) We back up the boycott. Again the impact financially to the RFU is nominal...however this would be catastrophic from an earnings standpoint for the NZRU.

so, basically, we're a bit f*%ked.....

[gluck]

I want Tew to go ahead with his threat. Let Europe have thier own tournament. Will go up and grand slam them every second year.

[jules]

I agree that the timing doesn't seem ideal, but as others have said the rugby eyes of the world are focused on NZ at the moment, and this is not a new issue, so really this is the ideal time to bring it back up again.

it did piss me off that the media picked up on it immediately as the lead story, but it still deserved air time. Our "mate" Johnny across the ditch has supported the issue too, which makes it feel a lot less like a whinge by Tew.

As long as the hosts can clinch old Bill in the next few weeks then I would be happy about the idea of NZ and Aus boycotting the 2015, and therefore NZ can hold it indefinitely.

I know Geeves has mentioned this same logic as applied to Australia holding the TriNations trophy forever now that the Pumas are getting involved next year. Makes good sense to me, if NZ held it I would be boasting the same thing!

Jules

[ruggerfan]

Hold Bill to ransome? I like it, give us 15 million or the americas cup dude with the lump hammer gets Bill for 15 mins

[Geeves]

The down payment cost to host the RWC is effectively going to mean that it will only be hosted in the northern hemisphere after 2019.  I can't remember what the Japanese forked out but it was not a little number. The cost will mean that no developing rugby nation will be able to host it and in future NZ won't either. Aus may get away with it if BHP came on board as the naming rights but hell that's getting unlikely.  Countries like Argentina who have developed in leaps and bounds should get a chance to host the RWC.  While the ability to take it to Canada, etc should occur.  But not in this structure.

All I can say is that enjoy it in NZ as odds on unless there are radical changes you won't host it again.  As lets face it NZ are the no 1 rugby nation that every country compares itself too.  You blokes do have a certain power that a lot of countries don't in regards to bums on seats but lack the cash in the big time.  The only way to force the change would be the tri-nations block going FU to the IRB.  If you could also get the PI countries in on it as well damn there would be an issue that would force change. 

In regards to the second string NH touring teams don't get me started.  Or the revenue sharing in NH tours. 

[ruggerfan]

The payement to host the tournament does not give you naming rights, the IRB keeps all that and the TV money and merchandising as well.

[gluck]

So now the IRB are saying the 39 million loss comes from not being allowed to associate wth sponsors during the tournament. Well let the sponsors in if that allows it to break even. This is morally repugnant. The IRB just don't get it at all.

[Wobbly]

...and now they are calling NZRU's bluff:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/5728601/We-can-live-without-the-All-Blacks-IRB-chief

Miller today responded to a threat by New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) chief Steve Tew to withdraw the All Blacks from the 2015 World Cup, by telling Radio Sport no team was irreplaceable.

"Does the World Cup need the All Blacks? Everyone is replaceable," he said.

[Teach]

I don't consider it a bluff. We are not just throwing toys or "banging the table"

If the RWC in 2015 is really going to cost $Xm, then do your sums carefully NZRU.

It's a money sport, & if we can't earn it at the RWC then don't go. I don't care. We've had our last fling - the tournament is never coming back here anyway.

The ABs are the biggest drawcard because they are always a bloody good team and the international yardstick - not because they attended the RWC at a loss.

In 20 years time NZ will only have maintained that position if they earn enough money. RWC brownie points don't count.

[Hamish]

I don't consider it a bluff. We are not just throwing toys or "banging the table"

If the RWC in 2015 is really going to cost $Xm, then do your sums carefully NZRU.

It's a money sport, & if we can't earn it at the RWC then don't go. I don't care. We've had our last fling - the tournament is never coming back here anyway.

The ABs are the biggest drawcard because they are always a bloody good team and the international yardstick - not because they attended the RWC at a loss.

In 20 years time NZ will only have maintained that position if they earn enough money. RWC brownie points don't count.

and it's got nothing to do with the fact that we can't win the f*&kin thing at all

[ruggerfan]

and it's got nothing to do with the fact that we can't win the f*&kin thing at all

Well it hasn't. It took 100  years to accumulate the 70 odd million in the bank, why should we throw away millions of it to bolster the IRB coffers? I don't agree with the timing but the IRB is an archaic "old boys club" and needs to be pulled into the professional age and the 21st century.