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Super 14 is Big in Japan
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Earlier last year media reports went on about the Rugby World Cup needing to go to Japan to grow the game there. I imagined that about 200 people played the game there and it was a small sport - as I guess most South Africans do. Not so at all. One of the Japan Sports channels is either dedicated to rugby or had it on every single time I flicked the channel during a recent visit. Thew only other sport with as much covereage was golf although english football is also popular. Taxi drivers asked me about rugby and mentioned the Super 14 to me. The channel showed lots of Japanese domestic rugby being played before decent size crowds. This came to mind with the Super 14 around the corner and the memories of watching replays of a Bulls vs Crusaders game with Japanese commentary. Its strange to think of Japanese fans gathering in a Tokyo bar to watch the next game of the Bulls or the Cats, but they are, and in much bigger numbers than I imagined. The Super 14 is big in Japan, so is rugby and it will make a great destination for a rugby World Cup - as it will certainly do in the future.
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Posted by Michael de Broglio on Friday 25-Jan-08
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New year
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A happy New Year for all readers of this blog! I hope 2008 is fantastic for you and your family, and that you enjoy the new website and e-mail newsletter on RAF matters I will shortly be launching! And while we are at it, that when the RAF returns to work, that its staff get on with outstanding payments!
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Posted by Michael de Broglio on Tuesday 01-Jan-08
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Our roads
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The first week of the year is always wonderful in Johannesburg. No traffic. Just the usual media focus on road deaths - and unfortunately they only focus for these 5 weeks plus a week in April. The death toll on accidents is almost that in violent crime, and yet road safety gets much less focus. The bottom line for those overseas is that they should be just as scared of driving on South Africa's roades as they are of the crime. Add in injuries, and the road is in fact a far more dangerous place to be.
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Posted by Michael de Broglio on Friday 04-Jan-08
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3 quick lessons
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A payment that the Road Accident Fund faxed us “proof” of payment on 21 December 2007, was in fact paid on 5 January 2008 – shortly after a flurry of e-mails telling them they had not in fact paid us. Lesson: The payment advice by the RAF at best can be relied on as their intention to pay you, it is not a fact. Do not process payments until they show in your account.
The system is certainly not fool proof and will not stop the RAF making some payments twice. We received an amount in excess of R500 000 twice, 14 days apart. Lesson: Monitor your account carefully and be ready to write back cheques to the RAF when they mistakenly pay you twice using their new, super system. Let’s hope individuals also pay them back public funds when they make such mistakes in paying them.
The new system involves sending you details about your payments via fax. If you don’t get the fax when it is sent it can easily take another two weeks to get the information. Lesson: Make sure your fax machine has enough paper at all times and certainly do not switch it off over holiday season!
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Posted by Michael de Broglio on Saturday 05-Jan-08
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Media
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This has been a fairly busy media week - an appearance on Rights and Recourse on SABC 2 on accidents and the Road Accident Fund and an interview for the Saturday Star on divorces. In some respects I prefer print media - there is less pressure and it certainly takes far less time! I tend to give a lot of the interviews or shows I am asked to do to colleagues, but on Wednesday they all called off ill/busy or similar. The worst part about TV shows is when the listeners call in. Sitting at home you can hear the questions perfectly. Its not like that in the studio necessarily and often I catch perhaps 60% of what is said. Its not like a consultation where you can ask some more questions and get to the facts. The person says a few things, some of which you hear, and thats it, off the line and now you must answer. You are bound to come short - and more than once!
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Posted by Michael de Broglio on Thursday 10-Jan-08
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