Yes, in the same way that a ST is counted in a club attendance figure even if the person didn't attend. It would be 45k higher than actual people though, because under Smokey's method the total attendance on Saturday would've been 90 thousand. 90 thousand people weren't there.

Basically for the double headers there are 3 ways of calculating average attendances:

1 - double the actual attendance and treat them as 2 games (current average around 27k)
2 - divide the total attendance by 2 and treat them as 2 games (current average around 16.5k)
3 - treat the total figure for the event as one game (current average around 22k)

To me, it is an absolute no-brainer that 3 is the fairest, most accurate way to do it. I definately don't have any sort of agenda and I'm not trying to make the figures look better or worse than they actually are. 45 thousand people bought one ticket to watch 2 games on Saturday. 22,500 didn't buy a ticket for one game, then another 22,500 for the 2nd game. 45,000 people also didn't buy 2 tickets.

the double header ticket was a ticket for every game in the double header. It is exactly the same.

There are other multi-match offers. I can buy a special offer for both headingley games. If i do that is only one of my attendances counted? You could buy an offer which entitled you to every england game the quarters, semi and final. If you did so would your attendance only be counted once?

Nobody is doubling the actual attendance. Nobody is saying 90k attended anything. Simply 45k attended 2 things. Which unarguably they did.

Dividing those figures you've quoted by 4 comes to 28138, so I wouldn't be questioning anyone else's basic maths!

I've seen 2 figures quoted for the NZ v Samoa match in multiple write-ups, one is the 14965 and another 13,965, what actually was it?

Both good points - I'm sure other sports do exactly this.

You can buy those tickets separately though!!! Surely you can see the difference?
You coiuldn't physically purchase just an England v Australia ticket, or just a Wales v Italy one. Whether you stayed for both games or not is irrelevent.

Averaging the ticket sales and averaging the match attendances are 2 different things?

If you want to average the ticket sales for the world cup, then by all means it's fair to split it. If we are averaging the amount of physical people in attendance, then there is no need to halve the attendance, because those people (for the most part atleast) physically watched both games.

Yes, whether you stayed for both games is irrelevant, because you bought a ticket for both games. The same as if you bought a season ticket and didnt attend a game it would be irrelevant because you had bought a ticket for it.

Has anyone been able to get through to the ticket hotline? Keep getting told to call back later.

14,965 was the one given out at the game.

Stat never tell the whole story - you always need a dose of common sense to form any conclusion.
Smokey is correct, 45K people attended two separate games.
He isn't arguing that, if it had not been a double header, the Wales-Italy game would have got that sort of attendance.

I don't see people's big problem. You quote the attendance averages, you put an asterix by the figure and you say - counting x y and z as separate games.

Would the people who are so keen to make the figure look as low as possible willing to consider the number of extra tickets that we may have sold to any sold out events for positive spin? No, thought not.

Re Tonga v Italy at Halifax 10 Nov

Halifax have now opened up the North Stand for general sale

Limited availabilty for East and South Stands, the West Stand is reserved for kids apparently