: Mon Mar 30, 2009 10:05 pm  

DAIHAPPY wrote:

They should have been held at the millennium stadium, but the date clashed with the Wales _ Finland Football. Given the respective crowds perhaps the fottlball should have been played in Coventry & the Rugby in Cardiff.

The football drew less than 30,000?

: Mon Mar 30, 2009 10:08 pm  

Catalancs wrote:

The football drew less than 30,000?

yep. approx 22000 & they're considering a class action under the trades description act.

: Mon Mar 30, 2009 10:11 pm  

DAIHAPPY wrote:

yep. approx 22000 & they're considering a class action under the trades description act.

Still doesn't mean that four 'top' rugby union teams drawing an average of 7,500 fans each for the semi finals of an important competition is anything less than embarrassing.

: Mon Mar 30, 2009 10:15 pm  

Catalancs wrote:

Still doesn't mean that four 'top' rugby union teams drawing an average of 7,500 fans each for the semi finals of an important competition is anything less than embarrassing.

In this case I think the location didn't help. Had the semis been at the Millennium Stadium you could have added at least 10,000 to the crowd. There was 24500 in there for the Blues - Gloucester game in the Heineken cup.

: Mon Mar 30, 2009 10:28 pm  

DAIHAPPY wrote:

In this case I think the location didn't help. Had the semis been at the Millennium Stadium you could have added at least 10,000 to the crowd. There was 24500 in there for the Blues - Gloucester game in the Heineken cup.

As I've said, it was bang in the middle of Northampton, Worcester and Leicester (the best supported rugby union club in England).

: Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:34 am  

Catalancs wrote:

Still doesn't mean that four 'top' rugby union teams drawing an average of 7,500 fans each for the semi finals of an important competition is anything less than embarrassing.

The EDF is an important competition to the bank manager, but that's it.

It falls well below the Heineken Cup and the Premiership on the players and fans radar.

: Tue Mar 31, 2009 1:18 pm  

Andy Gilder wrote:

The EDF is an important competition to the bank manager, but that's it.

It falls well below the Heineken Cup and the Premiership on the players and fans radar.

As we saw at the weekend.

: Wed Apr 01, 2009 11:37 am  

Catalancs wrote:

As we saw at the weekend.

And as we will no doubt see with attendances in the Carnegie Challenge Cup once the free offer for season ticket holders to the 4th round has passed, and as we saw in the FA Cup earlier rounds.

Lack of interest in games where you have to pay on the day having already bought a season ticket isn't purely a rugby union problem.

: Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:03 pm  

Scottish RFU have parted company with Frank Hadden. About time. I think they deteriorated season by season, rather than improving.

Who can ever forget that classic defeat by Italy at home, when they conceded 3 tries in about 15 minutes. Happy days.

: Thu Apr 02, 2009 8:54 pm  

French rugby is to limit the number of overseas players plying their trade domestically in their top-flight clubs. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/7980339.stm

French rugby is to limit the number of overseas players plying their trade domestically in their top-flight clubs. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/7980339.stm