IncREDible
The Queensland Reds have a brand spanking new advertising slogan and campaign underway and it's all centred around the word 'IncREDible'. While I'm sure hoping that my beloved Reds will live up to the slogan next season, kudos to the QRU for using QUT students to come up with the idea. QUT (Queensland University of Technology) bases a lot of business curriculum studies around 'real world' type activities and I must say it's fab to see students engaged in activities that are relevant to their studies, and which produce end results a little more interesting than an assignment that will sit in a filing cabinet gathering dust. Nice to see! (note: it is entirely possible and probable that my MBA from QUT has influenced the subject matter of the preceding paragraph!)
It seems that Taranaki is set to dip out on the NPC playing services of James Hilgendorf in 2006. Hilgendorf has signed with the Western Force, and coach John Mitchell has said that it is unlikely that the Force will release Hilgendorf to play NPC next season.
Some interesting reading in this article from Japan where Mori, the President of Japan's Rugby Football Union has his say on the IRB's decision to award the 2011 Rugby World Cup to New Zealand.
"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 cohost 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. We did not think it was fair on New Zealand." (Quote from Mori)
Hang on a minute there Mori.... it's my understanding that NZ lost the co-hosting rights for 2003 because they couldn't guarantee 'clean' stadiums; they wanted the host RWC games, but some of the stadiums' 'powers' could not meet the conditions that they had agreed to when the bid was put in. The ducks should have been in their rows long before push came to shove and NZ lost the co-hosting rights. That said, I look forward to RWC 2011 in the Shaky Isles - a great rugby nation, beautiful countryside, and compact enough to get around easily :)
I do feel for the Cherry Blossoms, I do understand their disappointment at not being awarded RWC 2011, but Mori also highlights some of the areas that Japan can attend to in order to make their next bid the successful one. So do it :) I can't comment on internal IRB workings - I don't work there, and they're far removed from most of us mere mortals.
Later!
It seems that Taranaki is set to dip out on the NPC playing services of James Hilgendorf in 2006. Hilgendorf has signed with the Western Force, and coach John Mitchell has said that it is unlikely that the Force will release Hilgendorf to play NPC next season.
Some interesting reading in this article from Japan where Mori, the President of Japan's Rugby Football Union has his say on the IRB's decision to award the 2011 Rugby World Cup to New Zealand.
"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 cohost 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. We did not think it was fair on New Zealand." (Quote from Mori)
Hang on a minute there Mori.... it's my understanding that NZ lost the co-hosting rights for 2003 because they couldn't guarantee 'clean' stadiums; they wanted the host RWC games, but some of the stadiums' 'powers' could not meet the conditions that they had agreed to when the bid was put in. The ducks should have been in their rows long before push came to shove and NZ lost the co-hosting rights. That said, I look forward to RWC 2011 in the Shaky Isles - a great rugby nation, beautiful countryside, and compact enough to get around easily :)
I do feel for the Cherry Blossoms, I do understand their disappointment at not being awarded RWC 2011, but Mori also highlights some of the areas that Japan can attend to in order to make their next bid the successful one. So do it :) I can't comment on internal IRB workings - I don't work there, and they're far removed from most of us mere mortals.
Later!
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