2023 (expanded) World Cup in South Africa
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<p>"<span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Qatar is hosting the FIFA World Cup in a few years, a country less than half the size of the Waikato."</span></p>
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<p><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Okay, FIFA should be heartily congratulated on its perspicacious decision to award the World Cup to Qatar. This has been received with universal approval and enthusiasm and is the perfect argument in favor of sending the Rugby World Cup to another tiny island. Good argument, this... </span></p> -
OK, I've sussed it - this is a Turing test, and Rowan is an AI?
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rowan" data-cid="554927" data-time="1454027259">
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<p>Yet South Africa has won two World Cups and finished third last year, while Ireland has never even reached the semi-finals. Is that any indication of which union is more competent? </p>
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<p>If you think on field results is an example of which country or Union is more competent (most SA fans freely admit the SARU is a mess) then you are an even bigger idiot than I thought you were!</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rowan" data-cid="554932" data-time="1454027680">
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<p>"<span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Qatar is hosting the FIFA World Cup in a few years, a country less than half the size of the Waikato."</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Okay, FIFA should be heartily congratulated on its perspicacious decision to award the World Cup to Qatar. This has been received with universal approval and enthusiasm and is the perfect argument in favor of sending the Rugby World Cup to another tiny island. Good argument, this... </span></p>
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<p>You report posts for being infintile and then you post this.</p>
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<p>Could you not understand the point of the post is that Ireland has more than enough terra firma to host an event such as the RWC</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rowan" data-cid="554926" data-time="1454027135"><p>
I thought 99 was a better tournament than 91 or 11, but, yes, the play off system wasnt good. The group stages were fine - that was my original point.</p></blockquote>
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You are the only person I have ever seen say 99 was a good format.<br><br>
Who are these outsiders that think 2011 was poor? Names and links please.<br><br>
This should be good....., -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Pot Hale" data-cid="554931" data-time="1454027529">
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<p>The temperatures you've provided for Dublin and Belfast are not accurate. Mean temps in Sept/Oct are 15-17c. You seem to have a dreadful fear of rain. It's not like it's pouring down every single hour.<br><br>
And the stadia are located throughout the island not just in two of the cities. The cities of Limerick, Cork, Waterford, Kilkenny, Galway and Derry would also likely feature as fan destinations.<br><br>
Might be useful to do some accurate homework. Or even listen to someone who's been there (hint)</p>
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<p>THe temperatures I provided for October (not September) were taken directly from official sources. It's well known Northern Ireland, in particular, has pretty rotten weather. 9 degreees, 74% chance of rain, two hours' of sunshine a day, dark by mid-afternoon.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Pot Hale" data-cid="554931" data-time="1454027529"><p>The temperatures you've provided for Dublin and Belfast are not accurate. Mean temps in Sept/Oct are 15-17c. You seem to have a dreadful fear of rain. It's not like it's pouring down every single hour.</p></blockquote>
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And even then, 'tis a soft rain, as me dear auld mammy used to say. Rain before 7, dry by 11. Etc. -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rowan" data-cid="554927" data-time="1454027259"><p>
Yet South Africa has won two World Cups and finished third last year, while Ireland has never even reached the semi-finals. Is that any indication of which union is more competent?</p></blockquote>
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No it indicates you like to cherry pick facts out of desperation , japan are hosting a rwc and have never even made the quarters. -
Rowan<br><br>
You've never visited South Africa. And you think it's the bees knees. <br><br>
You said had been to Ireland. I'm beginning to think you must have been served a bad pint or something. When did you visit, where and how long was your stay? -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Disgusted of TW" data-cid="554933" data-time="1454027757"><p>OK, I've sussed it - this is a Turing test, and Rowan is an AI?</p></blockquote>
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No , the artificial would cover his premise for hosting rights I guess. There's no sign of the intelligence part of AI though -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rowan" data-cid="554937" data-time="1454027911"><p>
THe temperatures I provided for October (not September) were taken directly from official sources. It's well known Northern Ireland, in particular, has pretty rotten weather. 9 degreees, 74% chance of rain, two hours' of sunshine a day, dark by mid-afternoon.</p></blockquote>
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What official sources did you use? <br><br>
I visit Belfast every second week and it's not well known to me. -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="554936" data-time="1454027903">
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<p>You are the only person I have ever seen say 99 was a good format.<br><br>
Who are these outsiders that think 2011 was poor? Names and links please.<br><br>
This should be good.....,</p>
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<p>No, I have agreed (more than once) that the format was not ideal, but that the fault lay with the first round of the knock-out phase, not with the group stages, which were fine - and free of controversy. The tournament was enjoyable overall, however, producing two of the most dramatic semi-finals ever. </p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rowan" data-cid="554932" data-time="1454027680">
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<p>"<span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Qatar is hosting the FIFA World Cup in a few years, a country less than half the size of the Waikato."</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Okay, FIFA should be heartily congratulated on its perspicacious decision to award the World Cup to Qatar. This has been received with universal approval and enthusiasm and is the perfect argument in favor of sending the Rugby World Cup to another tiny island. Good argument, this... </span></p>
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<p>you've hit the nail on the head there. Definitely the reason for the outcry against Qatar is the size of the country. </p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Pot Hale" data-cid="554942" data-time="1454028216">
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<p>What official sources did you use?<br><br>
I visit Belfast every second week and it's not well known to me.</p>
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<p>I accessed the meteorological web sites of both countries. Is that okay?</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Hooroo" data-cid="554935" data-time="1454027827">
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<p>You report posts for being infintile and then you post this.</p>
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<p>Could you not understand the point of the post is that Ireland has more than enough terra firma to host an event such as the RWC</p>
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<p>holy shit he's reporting posts?! That's fucking awesome!</p>
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<p>This thread really delivers</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="mariner4life" data-cid="554944" data-time="1454028256">
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<p>you've hit the nail on the head there. Definitely the reason for the outcry against Qatar is the size of the country. </p>
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<p>Thanks, but it's not my own original idea: <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-51548220100916'>http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-51548220100916</a></p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="mariner4life" data-cid="554944" data-time="1454028256"><p>
you've hit the nail on the head there. Definitely the reason for the outcry against Qatar is the size of the country.</p></blockquote>
Yup clearly the 50 degree summers and abhorrent human rights is a smoke screen to hide the real travesty, too small of a land mass to host a WC<br><br>
Least it's unlikely to rain there though -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Hooroo" data-cid="554930" data-time="1454027413">
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<p>Absolutely not. That just shows who had the better team</p>
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<p>So the union has nothing to do with the success of its representative national team?</p> -
<p>to back up your incorrect point you post an article that says FIFA might not give the cup to Qatar because of its size, written before they gave the cup to Qatar despite its size?</p>
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<p>And the public outcry has fuck all to do with the size of the country, especially when compared to the outcry about the heat, the local laws, the human rights abuses, and the overall stench of corruption around the bidding process.</p>
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<p>But then, i doubt even you are too dim to realise that, and this is a continuation of your fairly transparent windup. </p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Pot Hale" data-cid="554921" data-time="1454026720">
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<p>It's the fact that Ireland has pretty much the same numbers of foreign visitors as South Africa is the bit that worries me.<br><br>
SA had 9.4m foreign visitors in 2014. And Ireland only had 9.9m. How on earth would we fit another 1,000 people in?<br><br>
And only 1.5m fans go through the GAA turnstiles every summer. How would we manage 450,000 in Sept/Oct?<br><br>
And how would we fill the stadia? I mean Ireland managed to set a new attendance record at a World Cup match against Romania last Sept in the UK? God knows what would happen if we held it in Ireland.<br><br>
Tis a fearsome worry, the whole thing.</p>
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<p>Sure, both South Africa and Ireland would have little trouble filling their stadia. The question is, which of the two has the vastly superior array of stadia to fill? As already demonstrated, that's South Africa hands down - and with little or no upgrading required.</p>