I still think you are protesting a little bit too hard cj!

Great win for wasps

Well done Shaun

London Irish first home game of season at the Madejski today vs Gloucester - attendance 8,267, which is 4,042 less than the same fixture last year and lower than any attendance at the Madejski for the entire 2009-10 season

Leeds Carnegie vs Saracens today - attendance 4,774... 743 more than last year!! (Pity that the two Leeds home games combined are 1,341 less than the corresponding fixtures last year)

So, at the end of two rounds of Premiership rugby, the total attendance at home grounds (i.e. excluding Twickenham double headers) is 168,374 which is 23,039 down on the same fixtures last year (swapping Exeter in for Worcester who were relegated)

As I say, worrying times

Where are you getting all this from?


How do Exeter's and Worcester's support compare?
I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure Gary Hetherington and company have done quite a bit of work to promote Leeds rugby union over the past couple of years. I might be wrong but I seem to recall an article where Hetherington stated the ultimate aim was Heineken Cup qualification.

The internet, SKY teletext etc - we are lucky to be living in an information age


Fair enough - it is difficult to compare like for like when the teams are not identical

In that case, for all home games to date (excluding those games involving Exeter) the total attendance is 128,095 which is 17,604 down on last year in like for like games

As I say, worrying times

Who's that Barry,don't recognise that team.

32 pages in just under a year.

Isn't that Northampton?

After round three previous season aggregate was 256265, which compares to 220410. The 36k difference can be accounted for by the fact in round 2 last season Saracens played their first fixture at Wembley Stadium. Leicester's first game was to celebrate opening of their new stand and was a 24k sellout (I doubt they will get the same this season against Newcastle), their first game at home this season was was 18 less than Lecicester's second home game last season against Worcester. So the conclusion is that you were clearly not comparing like for like and appeared to be looking for something that is probably not there whilst ignoring evidence that would contradict your argument.

I think they clubs would be more worried about sponsorship and advertising revenue far more than they will do crowds.

Rugby league clubs tend to earn more income from gate receipts than corporate, sponsorship with the opposite being true for rugby union clubs. Really don't think the union club chairmen will be having sleepless nights just yet.

How on earth can I not be comparing like for like when I am comparing each fixture with the same fixture the previous season?

I have stated that I have discounted the Wembley and Twickenham games – I am comparing the attendance for all games played at a clubs home ground with the attendance for the same fixture in season 2009-10

If that is not like for like, I don’t know what is?

Only one five figure crowd in UK and Ireland this weekend.

Poor crowd.

But very well behaved. Just look at that seating arrangement! Poetry.

I know a Leicester fan who says that a lot of the fans expect silence in the ground before a penalty or conversion, and get a***y if you don't shut up.

Weird.

Roughly just over a thousand down per team. Not on the face of it that worrying, but it is when you consider that there have been some big games already.

Not weird at all. Happens at virtually every rugby union game.

I don't mean it's weird for RU, I mean that it's just outright weird!

It's a different mindset. What would be seen as gamesmanship in rugby league can be seen as rude and poor behaviour in union.
I've been to union games back home where the majority of the crowd have had their back to the game. I've also been to games where people have spent large parts of the game in the clubhouse rather than on the sidelines.
Although next to no one goes to union games over here, the few that do go are there to watch events on the pitch.

www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/20 ... orth-south Interesting points here in this article. (the commenter 'PrimroseAndBlue' is me)

www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/20 ... orth-south Interesting points here in this article. (the commenter 'PrimroseAndBlue' is me)

I was watching an English Rugby Union club match on TV some time ago between Leicester and some Welsh team....can't remember who now.

Big vocal crowd too.. the game was played at Leicester

Leicester scored a try and as their kicker prepared to kick the extras you could hear a small part of the crowd booing and whistling....which i would imagine were the visiting supporters. The announcer said over the tannoy 'Here at Leicester we don't boo the opposition'

There was a cheer around the ground...and then silence.

He kicked the extras.


Later on in the game when the Welsh side scored you could have heard a pin drop as their player attempted to kick their extras.... total silence.

Great sportsmanship.


League could learn a lot from that aspect of the Union game.

We had a school trip to Anfield one year to watch the All Blacks vs. North of England XV. Apparently chucking bog rolls on the pitch and booing the opposition might be OK when you go to Wembley for the Challenge Cup Final, but the grammar schools around us frowned at the behaviour of us comprehensive school types. (We had more fun shouting when Bruce Grobbelaar went past than watching the game...)

Just about sums union up this one paragraph.

Where are the Manchester updates? Surely they can't be as sh*t as they were last year.