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Something which influences the overall Prem average attendance are the 'big' games at the cabbage patch, white hart lane and Wembley. Have they all happened yet this season?

Can't remember the last total sell out at WR.

Prem rugby and the clubs do nothing at all to encourage away supporters to travel to matches. They are lucky so many still do but I feel there has been no growth in that area if anything numbers dropping.

Away fans will never make a big difference to overall crowds, but how much major publicity do any of us see for any Prem games ?
It is time for a major campaign, maybe on behalf of all clubs, with the costs split ?

Quote:

Yorkie
Something which influences the overall Prem average attendance are the 'big' games at the cabbage patch, white hart lane and Wembley. Have they all happened yet this season?
Can't remember the last total sell out at WR.

We average around 20knwhich any other premiership team would love

Just could be with the current recession looming and people have little spare cash, that sport may just be watched on the telly 'cos it's cheaper.

I can assure you that if we had another England team like the one that culminated in the 2003 WRC, just like last time, attendances would increase by a lot. England rugby is dull. To outsiders the Premiership is dull because Sarries are on telly every week, and Sarries win every week with their beyond credibility team.

Reduce the salary cap further, enforce it strictly so it covers every single penny earned by every player, including any payments to wives or associates if from a rugby or sponsor source. Make the league genuinely competitive and sustainable, and you will see more watchable rugby. Get rid of the pointless cup games and make players more available to England training. That would constitute some sort of start.

Actually, now that there are fewer teams, can we please have all Prem teams have all their International players available for all games (bar injury) by not scheduling Prem games on invitational weekends? Quality on the pitch should increase and more casual supporters might be dragged along to live games to see their favourite invitational stars.

Quote:

Monkey1
I can assure you that if we had another England team like the one that culminated in the 2003 WRC, just like last time, attendances would increase by a lot. England rugby is dull. To outsiders the Premiership is dull because Sarries are on telly every week, and Sarries win every week with their beyond credibility team.
Reduce the salary cap further, enforce it strictly so it covers every single penny earned by every player, including any payments to wives or associates if from a rugby or sponsor source. Make the league genuinely competitive and sustainable, and you will see more watchable rugby. Get rid of the pointless cup games and make players more available to England training. That would constitute some sort of start.

I'd agree with the first paragraph and emphatically condemn the second with regards to giving England more access to our players, the RFU get them on the cheap and invariably break them. I agree we should now ban any international games when the league is playing, with no clubs there will be no national side, the clubs will manage just fine without the interference of the suits.

There have been some big matches, but there are more

Looking at the league average overall it is worth remembering that we have only had 3 home games while Sale have had 6 and everyone else has had either 4 or 5.

The main issue is that the laws of the game are evolving away from a game that people want to watch. I don't think people want the game that is so arbitrary and where the referee decides so many results. The referee's just turn against sides with leads so we get these comebacks but as a fan they happen too often and it just means leads are meaningless. It honestly feels more like wrestling than a sport.

The TMO has really killed the joy of celebrating a try, particularly an unusual one. Part of that is HOW we use the TMO & could be fixed tomorrow if we got humans to do it rather than prigish idiots who seem to revel in ruining people's enjoyment. They also encourage whinging, appealing and building a sense of aggrievement. Whinging, booing, shouting at them very clearly works and gets decisions overturned so you have to do it, but it doesn't make it a very enjoyable experience.

I'd scrap the TMO & I'd scrap penalties in their entirety, save for actual dangerous play or repeated infringements. Just make everything else a free kick, immediately reduces referee's ability to change the game and makes "playing for penalties" impossible. It works in the scrum, no one goes "Oh I wish you could get 3 points for not using a brake foot or for feeding" and the lineout.

Quote:

SK88
he main issue is that the laws of the game are evolving away from a game that people want to watch. I don't think people want the game that is so arbitrary and where the referee decides so many results. The referee's just turn against sides with leads so we get these comebacks but as a fan they happen too often and it just means leads are meaningless. It honestly feels more like wrestling than a sport.
The TMO has really killed the joy of celebrating a try, particularly an unusual one. Part of that is HOW we use the TMO & could be fixed tomorrow if we got humans to do it rather than prigish idiots who seem to revel in ruining people's enjoyment. They also encourage whinging, appealing and building a sense of aggrievement. Whinging, booing, shouting at them very clearly works and gets decisions overturned so you have to do it, but it doesn't make it a very enjoyable experience.

I couldn't agree more.

I've previously commented that game is fast becoming (or maybe already has become) unwatchable.

I find myself increasingly shrugging at a result as it's really been decided by the match officials as they enforce laws in an arbitrary manner.

Such a shame that the sport is failing to grow a new fanbase while shrinking the existing one.

Yep - agree with both of those.

...

SK "I find myself increasingly shrugging at a result as it's really been decided by the match officials as they enforce laws in an arbitrary manner."

It is not new .. The referee is the final arbitrary

The referee is the final arbitrary ------------------ {The persons and events mentioned in this post are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely co-incidental}

I too find a lot of frustration watching matches involving any team, and the lack of consistency in decisions across games, and even during a game.
But that isn't going to stop any time soon.
I remember Tigers game plan changing a lot once Pat Howard joined, but we already had the solid foundations and players to implement the new plan.
I am not too sure we have that foundation at the moment, or the will of the Board to try a drastic change.

What drastic change are you after? bearing in mind we have reduced funds and salary cap.

I was, badly, referring to the idea that more "entertaining" rugby was needed to get bigger crowds.
We did it before, but doubt we can do so again any time soon.
Quins did it, and now Sarries are too, it will be interesting to see if their crowds did increase / will increase.
Problem with Quins is that it happened along with Covid, so not easy to work out.

To give some context, Bournemouth FC has just been sold for $255M, you could probably buy all of the Prem Rugby clubs for that amount ?

Quins Big Game has changed

[www.premiershiprugby.com]

Can’t see them getting as big a crowd for Exeter in March as a Xmas match!

New link
[www.quins.co.uk]



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2022:12:16:10:52:42 by tigersimon.

That link is just going to prem rugby home page for me and i can't find the story!

Quote:

tigersimon
Quins Big Game has changed
[www.premiershiprugby.com]

Can’t see them getting as big a crowd for Exeter in March as a Xmas match!

New link
[www.quins.co.uk]

So we could have played boxing day then rather than Xmas eve. Now we're not clashing with their cabbage patch party!