NZ Rugby World December 2017 - January 2018

KYUSHU, NESTLED IN THE SOUTH-WEST, is Japan’s third largest island. It is significantly smaller than both Honshu and Hokkaido and, with 13 million inhabitants, is vastly under populated by Japanese standards. That’s why the locals say Kyushu is Japan’s forgotten island – a kind of estranged little brother who is misunderstood or, at best, simply not appreciated by its siblings. But those who live there are quite happy to be Japan’s secret little paradise, which is most definitely what Kyushu is. It is an island of extreme natural beauty every bit as clean and green as New Zealand, if not more so, and breathtaking in its vistas. For New Zealanders who make it there, it will appear that Kyushu is a perfect blend of the South and North Islands with towering, breath-taking mountains and…

OITA CITY Population: 470,000 The biggest city in the prefecture and the perfect base from which to explore the region by either train or car. About an hour’s drive from Oita Airport – which is about a 100-105 minute flight from Tokyo. Oita City has some of the region’s best restaurants. It also, curiously, has a Strawberry Shortcake themed public toilet that was built to help Oita host a national toilet festival. Oita Stadium is a 20-minute drive outside the city but free buses will be provided during the World Cup. BEPPU CITY Population 120,000 Beppu City is twinned with Rotorua and it is easy to see why. There are hot springs and geothermal attractions everywhere. The city is also on the doorstep of the Mount Takasaki National Park and about a 50-minute drive from Oita Airport. Is not hosting…

IT HAS BEEN A SURPRISINGLY GOOD, or maybe that should be productive, 12 months for rugby. More happened than is probably realised. It was in fact a year of getting things done and significant changes were made, most of which, despite being long overdue, will have a positive if not necessarily immediate impact. One of those major changes actually took place in late 2016 when Dr Farah Palmer was appointed to the board of the New Zealand Rugby Union. Last year, without question, had been tumultuous and at times quite worryingly illuminating as to the true state of lingering misogynistic attitudes and cultures. The arrival of Dr Palmer to the previously all-male board was at least a start in addressing some the chronic lack of diversity in administrative and executive positions across the game. One…

OUR ROUND-UP OF THE RELEVANT AND RANDOM BITS OF INFORMATION THAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED ‘CONGRATULATIONS TO FRANCE ON BEING ELECTED RUGBY WORLD CUP 2023 HOST. THEY PRESENTED A VERY STRONG AND COMPREHENSIVE BID, WHICH CLEARLY RESONATED WITH THE COUNCIL TODAY.’ Bill Beaumont France were confirmed as hosts of the 2023 event after they won 24 of the 39 votes available. South Africa picked up 14 votes, with a second round of voting required after there was no clear majority in the first. Ireland dropped out after the first round after picking up only eight votes. But the fact France were successful, was a surprise as World Rugby hoped that by having all three bids independently assessed, the vote would have been a straightforward case of rubber-stamping the preferred option. The members weren’t bound to…

␊ France won the hosting rights for the 2023 World Cup. They won them fair and square. ␊ They didn’t go behind the scenes and horse trade their way to victory. ␊ It wasn’t strange at all that they won the rights despite South Africa being World Rugby’s preferred bidder after an extensive and exhaustive independent report was commissioned to evaluate the three bids. ␊ France managed to win despite that simply because their bid was ace. ␊ [Okay is that enough..? Will we get the full fee that we were promised for writing nice things..?] ␊ Ooopsy...ignore that last comment. It wasn’t meant for public consumption. No, no, wipe it from the record. Forget all about it. ␊ And talking of forgetting all about it, that’s the one thing the former British Lions coach just…

The Georgians have sat at No 12 in the world rankings for some time now and have consistently been ahead of Italy since before the last World Cup. Straddled between Asia and Europe the Georgians, coached by New Zealander Milton Haig, believe they need inclusion in the showpiece event for their development to continue. “The Six Nations is what we need,” Haig said before his side played supremely well against Wales in Cardiff in November. “We have talked about it for three years, it is what we need to improve our game. But also geographically, it is the place we naturally fit. So we are just hoping we get that opportunity one day and I know the new CEO of the RFU [Steve Brown] has said they want to be open-minded which is…