These stats just aren't true, their first 4 games last year were,

Wakefield, 7,500
St Helens, 7,095
Salford, 7,156
Hull 8,025.

Seeing as though you would expect Saints to be a big game this is no problem. They clearly get less when they start the year. It was the same in 2010:

St Helens, 7,825
Castleford, 6,810
Hull KR, 6,513
Leeds, 8,230

Let's remember that last year they were redeveloping Stade Gilbert Brutus.

But you can see that the first 4 attendances were clearly not affected by this.

Many apologies, the figures that i looked at were in reverse order, you are correct and I am embarrased

I just remember them doing the redevelopment, can't remember what the capacity was reduced to.