Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Wed Feb 29, 2012 12:55 pm  

gutterfax wrote: http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/provincial/6489057/Otago-rugby-union-headed-for-liquidation Can't really comment with much knowledge on Otago, but the NZRU have admitted that there are other unions with "bridging" loans. The Wellington Hurricanes had an average home gate of 23,300 in 2006...5 seasons later they got 11,280....52% down. Now, given that the Majority of the fans are drawn from within 25kms and the rail line runs directly to the station, together with the fact that you can walk to the stadium from the CBD in 5 minutes and get a bus from the immediate city suburbs (pop 450k) in about 10 minutes, this loss of fans is down to 2 things........Apathy and SKY TV. Sky are a required evil, in that without their cash, the game would not be able to survive. Apathy is a different matter though......I can buy a ticket walk up for as little as $25 or a Season Ticket for $199 which includes 7 S15 games and 5 ITM games for the Lions........that works out at $16.50 a game.......less than a tenner in pounds! New Zealand Rugby Union have a responsibility to take back certain aspects of control from the individual Unions, including a good chunk of the central marketing budgets... The Blues v The Crusaders got 32k......but the Chiefs v Highlanders got 20k less than that.......this is only a few months after the entire country went Rugby mad.......I sense a certain amount of "field of Dreams" marketing has taken place.....an over reliance on the RWC effect and a misplaced exectation that fans would flock back......they won't and if the Hurricanes are as bad as expected this year, I would expect another drop in their average atendance. Rugby Union is still the Number 1 game here in NZ, but that's only because the gates at Soccer, Cricket and League are nothing to write home about. GF,could it be that the NZRU have sat back on their 'laurels' for too long and while other sports haven't caught them up, they have opened the eyes of the paying public to alternatives? I know a large percentage of the Australian Super 25 clubs' budgets come from television money so maybe you're right when you pose Sky as the necessary evil.

gutterfax wrote: http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/provincial/6489057/Otago-rugby-union-headed-for-liquidation Can't really comment with much knowledge on Otago, but the NZRU have admitted that there are other unions with "bridging" loans. The Wellington Hurricanes had an average home gate of 23,300 in 2006...5 seasons later they got 11,280....52% down. Now, given that the Majority of the fans are drawn from within 25kms and the rail line runs directly to the station, together with the fact that you can walk to the stadium from the CBD in 5 minutes and get a bus from the immediate city suburbs (pop 450k) in about 10 minutes, this loss of fans is down to 2 things........Apathy and SKY TV. Sky are a required evil, in that without their cash, the game would not be able to survive. Apathy is a different matter though......I can buy a ticket walk up for as little as $25 or a Season Ticket for $199 which includes 7 S15 games and 5 ITM games for the Lions........that works out at $16.50 a game.......less than a tenner in pounds! New Zealand Rugby Union have a responsibility to take back certain aspects of control from the individual Unions, including a good chunk of the central marketing budgets... The Blues v The Crusaders got 32k......but the Chiefs v Highlanders got 20k less than that.......this is only a few months after the entire country went Rugby mad.......I sense a certain amount of "field of Dreams" marketing has taken place.....an over reliance on the RWC effect and a misplaced exectation that fans would flock back......they won't and if the Hurricanes are as bad as expected this year, I would expect another drop in their average atendance. Rugby Union is still the Number 1 game here in NZ, but that's only because the gates at Soccer, Cricket and League are nothing to write home about. GF,could it be that the NZRU have sat back on their 'laurels' for too long and while other sports haven't caught them up, they have opened the eyes of the paying public to alternatives? I know a large percentage of the Australian Super 25 clubs' budgets come from television money so maybe you're right when you pose Sky as the necessary evil.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Wed Feb 29, 2012 1:42 pm  

Is the ball in play more in RL than Basketball, now that is a dull sport, that attracts billions of dollars, wtf, it's more tedious than the stop start NFL.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Wed Feb 29, 2012 7:04 pm  

Catalancs wrote:

GF,could it be that the NZRU have sat back on their 'laurels' for too long and while other sports haven't caught them up, they have opened the eyes of the paying public to alternatives?
I know a large percentage of the Australian Super 25 clubs' budgets come from television money so maybe you're right when you pose Sky as the necessary evil.

Maybe a case of wanting too much too soon? As much down there as up here.

The irony is that in the SH, professionalism will destroy Union's old structures but maybe help its expansion; in the North, it will destroy its own expansion but save its old structures.

I mean, look at how many times we've all been on here saying that Newcastle's demise is imminent. And now Wasps. In the early days of pro union, having a Newcastle team and a pro Leeds team all seemed a great idea and was easily achieved by injecting a ton of cash into what was still an amateur game.

But in England right now the growing or returning teams lie in places where popular interest has always veered towards union, and where crucially the cash does now too. Bristol, Cornish Pirates, London Welsh, Bedford...heartland teams. I bet Sky dream of Bristol returning to the top flight to take on Bath and Gloucester.

If Newcastle go under, the RFU et al will be embarassed to have only one team north of the M69. But the moment Wasps look like they're in trouble, I bet there will be calls for an expansion of the league. Which won't benefit Wasps as they skid back into oblivion, but will almost certainly make the league more "southern". Expansion ruined for a generation, but certainly a stronger, and richer game, with higher average attendances.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:16 am  

Usap Perignan to play Toulouse at Lluis Companys, Barcelona on 14th April. They're aiming to fill it and I think they will.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Sun Mar 04, 2012 10:50 pm  

Second v fourth in Premiership. Six penalties to four in front of 6k crowd.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Mon Mar 05, 2012 4:15 am  

2 Weeks into Super 15 and they are tracking an average gate of about 27k and about 5 tries a game so far. There have been a couple of Kick-a-thons though....and mainly involving the South African teams, with the Stormers v Sharks a try free event.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Mon Mar 05, 2012 6:46 am  

Haven't seen any Super 15 yet, but hoping to rectify that once I get my internet installed.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Mon Mar 05, 2012 7:39 am  

Wasps beat London Irish 18-13

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Mon Mar 05, 2012 10:06 am  

94#Dennis_the_menace_Maxw wrote:

Wasps beat London Irish 18-13

What's your take on Wasps this season? Financial worries aside, how can the club improve to avoid a repeat next season?


Danny Care was cautioned on Sunday for a third drink-related incident in three months. Poor lad gets singled out quite a bit, doesn't he?

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Fri Mar 09, 2012 1:16 pm  

Cracking discussion courtesy of those jolly good chaps at Planetrugbyunion.

Cracking discussion courtesy of those jolly good chaps at Planetrugbyunion.