2023 (expanded) World Cup in South Africa
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Pot Hale" data-cid="555202" data-time="1454118003">
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<p>I don't doubt that South Africa have some of the best attendances in club rugby - in south Africa.</p>
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<p>However, you stated this in the context of SA fans being more passionate than Irish ones as if somehow this made a difference. So what if they are? </p>
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<p>83,000 fans turned out to watch a club game between Leinster and Munster out of a population of 2.5m approx. 40,000 Stormers fans turned out to watch a game out of a population of how many millions?</p>
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<p>Are you arguing that you measure passion as a proportion of population? Or how many times over that you could fill 12 stadiums with a finite capacity? Or what?</p>
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<p>Well, I'm not sure how else we can measure passion other than by attendances. Other than that, I can only go by what I see on TV, and I'm not sure I've ever seen more passionate support for a RWC than 1995.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rowan" data-cid="555206" data-time="1454118403">
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<p>Well, I'm not sure how else we can measure passion other than by attendances. Other than that, I can only go by what I see on TV, and <strong>I'm not sure I've ever seen more passionate support for a RWC than 1995.</strong></p>
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<p>Were you there?</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rowan" data-cid="555206" data-time="1454118403">
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<p>Well, I'm not sure how else we can measure passion other than by attendances. Other than that, I can only go by what I see on TV, and I'm not sure I've ever seen more passionate support for a RWC than 1995.</p>
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<p>Fair enough. But since there hasn't been an RWC hosted in Italy or Ireland on their own, it's difficult to compare.</p>
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<p>But let's look at South Africa's record of passion/attendance at RWC matches, where they are only one of 20 teams participating. And RWC 1995 is the only yardstick for that.</p>
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<p>Oddly, despite the passion you observed on TV, according to data provided on the RWC Wikipedia page, the 1995 tournament was the second least successful in filling stadia - 77% of available capacity. In a minor contrast, the ones that Ireland were involved with "hosting" marginally were 79% and 83%. The most recent one in England achieved a staggering 95% of capacity, apparently.</p>
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<p>In addition, re your earlier criticism about low attendances at 2 matches (3,000 & 9,500) held in Ireland in two different world cups, it's notable that in RWC 1995,</p>
<p>Can v Rom (8,000),</p>
<p>Aus v Can (16,000),</p>
<p>Aus v Rom (15,000),</p>
<p>Italy v Western Sam (7,800),</p>
<p>W Sam v Arg (7,900),</p>
<p>Arg v Italy (7,500),</p>
<p>Japan v Wal (15,000),</p>
<p>Irl v Jap (15,000),</p>
<p>Far v Ivory Coast (10,000) </p>
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<p>were a feature of the pool stages with some of the stadia used (e.g. Boet Erasmus) only filled to 25% capacit. Remarkably, a quarter-final between France and Ireland only had 20,000 attending in a 52,00 seater. Even more remarkably, some of south Africa's own games did not get full houses either e.g. SA v France. </p>
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<p>SA however, has not just had problems of under-filled stadia at sports matches, of more concern is where overcrowding has been allowed to happen. Whilst your earlier example of waterlogged pitches in Northern Ireland stopping local teams playing a football match at a local ground may be an indicator that it rains in Ireland sometimes, and therefore the country's weather is unreliable for hosting a RWC, you also need to consider the 2001 stampede at a match at Ellis Park that killed 43 people due to overcrowding as a result of security guards being bribed and allowing ticketless people into the ground. It tragically mirrored a similar overcrowding disaster in 1991 at a nearby stadium in which 41 people were crushed to death. </p>
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<p>Re RWC1995 and its undeniable component of passion, though not necessarily matched in attendances, you have to acknowledge the context and history behind that tournament - re apartheid and Mandela's ascendancy. Given your background in sports writing, what's your view on whether the same circumstances would apply in 2023, or would the increasingly strident SA government manage to alienate the largely white fanbase with their transition programmes?</p> -
I think it's farewell to our Ginger Prince.<br><br>
When you return under a different name you'll probably last longer if you don't lie and troll, try and keep the bullshit about your past ( you played a season of league in Aussie? Oh as if)to a minimum too. -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rowan" data-cid="555199" data-time="1454117309">
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<p><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Grew up in NZ and played my rugby there. Also played a season of league in Aussie. I later got into sports journalism. But I've been abroad for around 20 years now, currently in Turkey, as someone already pointed out.</span></p>
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<p>So you're basically admitting to be the mentally unhinged freak, as evidenced by your username - the very same name of the object of your affection. You remember her. The girl who doesn't want anything to do with you (and rightly so)</p>
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<p>Why don't you tell us all how you can't come back to NZ for fear of being arrested at the border, you raving lunatic?</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Smudge" data-cid="555229" data-time="1454126363">
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<p>So you're basically admitting to be the mentally unhinged freak, as evidenced by your username - the very same name of the object of your affection. You remember her. The girl who doesn't want anything to do with you (and rightly so)</p>
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<p>Why don't you tell us all how you can't come back to NZ for fear of being arrested at the border, you raving lunatic?</p>
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<p>Say wha?</p>
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<p>Has this thread just turned into a Scooby Doo mystery?</p> -
Jeez - that was out of left field. <br><br>
I await the next instalment in the morning. -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Pot Hale" data-cid="555233" data-time="1454127481">
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<p>Jeez - that was out of left field.<br><br>
I await the next instalment in the morning.</p>
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<p>I await my next instalment in about 8 hours time after a night on the turps....</p>
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<p>Let's just say "Rowan" is not someone who is welcomed by rugby forum adminstrators across the internet.</p> -
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This is the best thread ever.
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="mariner4life" data-cid="555240" data-time="1454129467"><p>
This is the best thread ever.</p></blockquote><br>
Not for poor old Quentin , poor bastard just can't catch a break. God decided he should look like Ron Perlmans ginger twin if he was conceived near Chernoyls reactor . I wonder if he will return with a more subtle name? -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Siam" data-cid="555230" data-time="1454126679"><p>
Say wha?<br><br>
Has this thread just turned into a Scooby Doo mystery?</p></blockquote>
And he would have got away with it too if it wasn't for you pesky kids ...<br><br>
I have read the story before. <br><br>
don't think I'm across all of it though.<br><br>
The clues are in the thread...<br><br>
Google is your friend ... do your own research. :)<br><br>
Perhaps start with the cryptic conversation between Smudge and Jegga about the author of "The World's Friendliest People".<br><br>
Arrested though Smudge? Was it that bad? -
Booboo I don't think he's been arrested yet, no doubt he will be if he ever returns to NZ because it was that bad.<br><br>
I googled his name and got a letter to the guardian with him ranting about NATO members Australia and Ukraine investigating the mh170 crash , apparently them being part of NATO means it'll be a stitch up that finds Russia responsible .<br><br><br>
Neither country is a NATO member, damn those easily disproved claims eh QP? -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Crucial" data-cid="555247" data-time="1454133481"><p>
Crikey. A bit of googling outs our nutcase as a serial internet pest on anything and everything.</p></blockquote>
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Yep, mostly self loathing directed at the west . He's a bit Winger like that, Nepia reminded me how he used to write a letter to rugby news almost every week. -
I do get a lot of amusement out of trolls getting absolutely torn to shreds on this forum. They come in looking for a reaction but instead get well constructed arguments that back them so far into a corner that it becomes obvious to anyone reading they have absolutely no idea what they are talking about.<br><br>
The way Winger was exposed in the vaccine and climate threads and Rowan in this thread does a good public service as well, making sure as few people as possible are sucked into believing their bullshit. -
<p>Rowan is currently on a holiday...</p>
