Angry parents have accused the organizers of the Rugby World Cup of greed for "insisting that even tiny babies will need tickets," according to Simon de Bruxelles of the LONDON TIMES. It is a "long-standing tradition for babes in arms and toddlers to be allowed in free" to rugby int'ls if they are "too small to need seats." Some parents have taken to the Internet to complain that their children were "not even born when the tickets went on sale and it is now all but impossible to find spare seats even if they wanted to." An RWC spokesperson said, "For safety reasons, every human being in a venue needs a ticket so that venue capacities are not exceeded. If a stadium has a license for 80,000 people, you can't have an additional unknown number of spectators sitting on laps. Our policy is driven by safety reasons and the safety rules surrounding stadia in England and Wales" (LONDON TIMES, 9/16).
FOLLOW THE RULES: In London, Alex Lowe wrote World Rugby has said "players guilty of diving or feigning injury" will automatically receive a yellow card as organizers "bid to end the 'football culture' creeping into the game." And players "who harangue referees," another "common problem in football," will also face heavy sanctions "in an attempt to protect the game’s values of respect for officials." Referees will have access to TV evidence to help them "punish players with 10 minutes in the sin-bin." Also, a citing commissioner could issue "a post-match yellow card if he spots an incident during his review of the game" (LONDON TIMES, 9/17).
READY TO GO: ESPN reported meanwhile, organizers insist they are "ready for the logistical challenge posed by the opening game on Friday," which will see 82,500 people descend on Twickenham during rush hour for England vs. Fiji. England Rugby 2015 Managing Dir Stephen Brown said, "We're always worried about moving 82,000-plus in and out of a city. But we do it all the time here. The late kick-offs are a challenge for us, there's no question about it, but this [Friday] is the hard one. It's the big event" (ESPN, 9/16). In London, Aaron Bower reported Super League GM Blake Solly said that the RWC is "not a threat to the game and believes the sport can take advantage of the momentum the event will generate." Solly: "I don’t see the Rugby World Cup as a threat, I see it as a massive opportunity. I think the Rugby World Cup will be an extremely successful tournament, but I don’t see it as a predator. Looking at rugby union or football as our only competition is naive. Rugby league’s competition is everything from Disneyland to a trip to the pub, not just rugby union or football. We are in the leisure and entertainment industry and not just competing with other sports for people’s attention and investment" (GUARDIAN, 9/16).
