Through the Rugby World Cup we will be keeping an eye out for the quirky and the amusing stories on the sidelines that relate to the business of sport.
Japanese Fans Force Store to Close
There was a popular song in the early 1980’s called Turning Japanese and that’s what appears to be happening across the Rugby World. The official Rugby World Cup Store on Oxford Street in London was forced to close yesterday because of a surge in demand for Japanese shirts and souvenir merchandise.
World Rugby has structured the sale of such goods so that the nation with the biggest sales gets the biggest slice of revenue. That was fully expected to be host nation England or New Zealand, now it’s no longer a clear cut call. The Japanese face Scotland in their next outing tomorrow.
TV Officials Cry Foul on TMO Timing
The way in which the Television Match Official is used is being reviewed at the Rugby World Cup following complaints that it is slowing the games down too much. Over ten minutes of England’s opening game against Fiji was spent waiting while the TMO official watched and ruled on six different incidents.
“The objective of the TMO system is to ensure accurate and consistent decisions are made on the field in a timely and efficient manner,” according to a tournament spokesperson.
Match Official sponsor Emirates probably won’t want to be associated with something that is responsible for delays either. Expect an edict to referees to rely more on their instinct for the rest of the tournament.
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