Attendance on Saturday

[Slipper1]

The actual figure was just over 35k. I wonder what figure will be released.

Sunday Times announce that official figure was 35,517.

Surely they didn't massage that figure, it couldn't have been lower than 35k?

[Dave Cahill]

The actual figure was just over 35k. I wonder what figure will be released.

Sunday Times announce that official figure was 35,517.

Surely they didn't massage that figure, it couldn't have been lower than 35k?

No, that tallies with what I'd heard.


What was exiting the stadium like, does anyone know?

[akared]

I didn't go to the game for obvious reasons but I thought the main winners of the situation would be the publicans of Dublin. I was shocked when I walked into one of the main rugby pubs in the d4 area 20 minutes before the game, which would normally be alive with excited rugby fans deep in debate on the outcome of today's match, to witness a Sunday afternoon crowd paying no attention to the muted TV with punditry of the match, the volume wasn't turned up until about 10 minutes into the match. Everyone seemed so disinterested, a world apart from the six nations two years ago. Is the rugby supporting public really that fickle or has the ticket fiasco not just caused a buycott of the attendance of the match itself but also for the supporting of the team?

[Mackman15]

I didn't go to the game for obvious reasons but I thought the main winners of the situation would be the publicans of Dublin. I was shocked when I walked into one of the main rugby pubs in the d4 area 20 minutes before the game, which would normally be alive with excited rugby fans deep in debate on the outcome of today's match, to witness a Sunday afternoon crowd paying no attention to the muted TV with punditry of the match, the volume wasn't turned up until about 10 minutes into the match. Everyone seemed so disinterested, a world apart from the six nations two years ago. Is the rugby supporting public really that fickle or has the ticket fiasco not just caused a buycott of the attendance of the match itself but also for the supporting of the team?

A tad disturbing aright. I wouldn't write of general pi$$ed-off-ness levels either. Do many people have money to blow on a night on the razz any more?

[simplythebest]

I went - only because I was given (i.e. free) 2 tickets yesterday afternoon. I was on the halfway line in the East Lower and looking at the South Terrace and the West Stand, I was guessing that it was 80 - 85% full and I guessed at 42k. But I must have over estimated.
However the athmosphere was cr@p. Give me a Leinster game in the RDS any day of the week. My wife tells me that I am getting more and more cantankerous the older I get and I know its propabably true but the people there were really annoying me. There was a howaya behind me that kept shouting "Would yiz get the ball", some other stupid cow immediately roared out when Jonny missed the first kick, "Would ye bring on ROG" and then I had to look at all these clowns who turned up at the wrong stadium, dressed in their Munster garb (Munster I presume must have been playing somewhere else).
I tell you, for an enjoyable day/night out it's the Leinster games for me.

[Grumpy Old Man]

What was exiting the stadium like, does anyone know?

Fine from the south stand premium level, but given the size of the crowd its not that surprising.

A lot of people stayed in the bars for the second half.

[Donny B.]

I didn't go to the game for obvious reasons but I thought the main winners of the situation would be the publicans of Dublin. I was shocked when I walked into one of the main rugby pubs in the d4 area 20 minutes before the game, which would normally be alive with excited rugby fans deep in debate on the outcome of today's match, to witness a Sunday afternoon crowd paying no attention to the muted TV with punditry of the match, the volume wasn't turned up until about 10 minutes into the match. Everyone seemed so disinterested, a world apart from the six nations two years ago. Is the rugby supporting public really that fickle or has the ticket fiasco not just caused a buycott of the attendance of the match itself but also for the supporting of the team?

I think the stupid, arrogant attitude of the IRFU has created such an amount of bad feeling about the match that it spilled over into a general apathy about the game itself. I was at a junior schools match and a J4 club match yesterday and no one I spoke to was actually going to the game or was even that bothered by it. By pricing a vast swathe of the Irish rugby public out of going to games, the IRFU has created a sense of disconnection to the team.

For Ireland's sake I hope this isn't allowed to fester and become permanent.

[RoboProp]

A full stadium may have been worth an extra 3 points.

[fourthirtythree]

A full stadium may have been worth an extra €2M.

IRFU fixed that for you.

[D'Arse]

Personally I'm delighted that the stadium was so empty. Maybe Philip Browne and his cronies in 10 Lansdowne Road will will put down the champagne and take a look out the window now. Charging the same price for a ticket on the halfway line and a ticket behind the goal is preposterous.

The only people I had any sympathy for were the players. My sister was speaking to one of the Irish players earlier today and he said that the players were really disappointed with the emptiness of the stadium. They felt like the ticket fiasco overshadowed the whole game and it had a detrimental effect on squad morale on match day.

[Skyhawk]

I went - only because I was given (i.e. free) 2 tickets yesterday afternoon. I was on the halfway line in the East Lower and looking at the South Terrace and the West Stand, I was guessing that it was 80 - 85% full and I guessed at 42k. But I must have over estimated.
However the athmosphere was cr@p. Give me a Leinster game in the RDS any day of the week. My wife tells me that I am getting more and more cantankerous the older I get and I know its propabably true but the people there were really annoying me. There was a howaya behind me that kept shouting "Would yiz get the ball", some other stupid cow immediately roared out when Jonny missed the first kick, "Would ye bring on ROG" and then I had to look at all these clowns who turned up at the wrong stadium, dressed in their Munster garb (Munster I presume must have been playing somewhere else).
I tell you, for an enjoyable day/night out it's the Leinster games for me.

Will you get over yourself.....
People have a tendency to shout and roar at matches, and their emotions often get the better of them. Have you ever been to a club game?

I was also offered two free tickets to the match but declined as I had already decided against going. A sad day for the Irish rugby supporting public, the Union should hang their heads in shame.

[Mackman15]

My wife tells me that I am getting more and more cantankerous the older I get and I know its propabably true but ...............

Does she have a sister, Blonde, Glasses, goes by the name macklady 15?

[ronk]

The actual figure was just over 35k. I wonder what figure will be released.

Sunday Times announce that official figure was 35,517.

Surely they didn't massage that figure, it couldn't have been lower than 35k?

No, that tallies with what I'd heard.


What was exiting the stadium like, does anyone know?

Stayed for a pint, exited via Bath Avenue. Only crowd worth the name was the army of stewards who came streaming past.

[sheepshagger]

What was exiting the stadium like, does anyone know?

No problems exiting onto LR itself ...reasonably quick get away to the Horse Show House.

[simplythebest]

I went - only because I was given (i.e. free) 2 tickets yesterday afternoon. I was on the halfway line in the East Lower and looking at the South Terrace and the West Stand, I was guessing that it was 80 - 85% full and I guessed at 42k. But I must have over estimated.
However the athmosphere was cr@p. Give me a Leinster game in the RDS any day of the week. My wife tells me that I am getting more and more cantankerous the older I get and I know its propabably true but the people there were really annoying me. There was a howaya behind me that kept shouting "Would yiz get the ball", some other stupid cow immediately roared out when Jonny missed the first kick, "Would ye bring on ROG" and then I had to look at all these clowns who turned up at the wrong stadium, dressed in their Munster garb (Munster I presume must have been playing somewhere else).
I tell you, for an enjoyable day/night out it's the Leinster games for me.

Will you get over yourself.....
People have a tendency to shout and roar at matches, and their emotions often get the better of them. Have you ever been to a club game?

I was also offered two free tickets to the match but declined as I had already decided against going. A sad day for the Irish rugby supporting public, the Union should hang their heads in shame.

Must have been your mott doing the shouting. When the SA No. 8 was holding the ball at the base of their scrum and their No. 9 was organising his back line and your mott was shouting at the Ireland team, "would yiz get the ball", I really don't think it has anything to do with emotions. Especially when it happens continually.
The thick cork bird who shouted out to bring on O'Gara at Johnny's first (missed) kick was not emotion either, but was totally premeditated. Couldn't wait to get stuck into anyone that would dare take a munster players place. Sorry, but PFO.
I've been to plenty of club games and have no issues at all with raw emotion. In fact that was really the essence of my posting, there were no emotions showing, just by and large a bunch of wakners, who by and large hadn't a clue what was going on. Maybe it was just where I was sitting, but that's the way it seemed to me.

[dipper]

I didn't go to the game for obvious reasons but I thought the main winners of the situation would be the publicans of Dublin. I was shocked when I walked into one of the main rugby pubs in the d4 area 20 minutes before the game, which would normally be alive with excited rugby fans deep in debate on the outcome of today's match, to witness a Sunday afternoon crowd paying no attention to the muted TV with punditry of the match, the volume wasn't turned up until about 10 minutes into the match. Everyone seemed so disinterested, a world apart from the six nations two years ago. Is the rugby supporting public really that fickle or has the ticket fiasco not just caused a buycott of the attendance of the match itself but also for the supporting of the team?

I think the stupid, arrogant attitude of the IRFU has created such an amount of bad feeling about the match that it spilled over into a general apathy about the game itself. I was at a junior schools match and a J4 club match yesterday and no one I spoke to was actually going to the game or was even that bothered by it. By pricing a vast swathe of the Irish rugby public out of going to games, the IRFU has created a sense of disconnection to the team.

For Ireland's sake I hope this isn't allowed to fester and become permanent.

I agree Donny. I paid to go to the game but it seemed like there was a real sense of negativity amongst everyone before and during the game (myself included). It just didn't feel like a big test match when the stadium was less than 80% full. I'm convinced that the team would have played better in front of a full house. I've never been more angry and frustrated at a match than I was on Saturday night.

[The Doc]

I didn't go to the game for obvious reasons but I thought the main winners of the situation would be the publicans of Dublin. I was shocked when I walked into one of the main rugby pubs in the d4 area 20 minutes before the game, which would normally be alive with excited rugby fans deep in debate on the outcome of today's match, to witness a Sunday afternoon crowd paying no attention to the muted TV with punditry of the match, the volume wasn't turned up until about 10 minutes into the match. Everyone seemed so disinterested, a world apart from the six nations two years ago. Is the rugby supporting public really that fickle or has the ticket fiasco not just caused a buycott of the attendance of the match itself but also for the supporting of the team?

I think the stupid, arrogant attitude of the IRFU has created such an amount of bad feeling about the match that it spilled over into a general apathy about the game itself. I was at a junior schools match and a J4 club match yesterday and no one I spoke to was actually going to the game or was even that bothered by it. By pricing a vast swathe of the Irish rugby public out of going to games, the IRFU has created a sense of disconnection to the team.

For Ireland's sake I hope this isn't allowed to fester and become permanent.

I agree Donny. I paid to go to the game but it seemed like there was a real sense of negativity amongst everyone before and during the game (myself included). It just didn't feel like a big test match when the stadium was less than 80% full. I'm convinced that the team would have played better in front of a full house. I've never been more angry and frustrated at a match than I was on Saturday night.

From my point of view speaking as someone who has always gone to most AI's and 6N and at least one of the away games) - when they announced the 4 game package I just wrote off going to the AI's. Made plans for the Saturdays. So even when offered free tickets (and lunch) late last week I turned them down as I already had plans - didn't even g to the pub - got home 10 mins before the game and watched and turned it off on the final whistle.

I think the NZ one is probably the only one my crowd will gather to watch in a pub - and these are all pretty long term match goers. I'm sure they will all be back for the 6N but the whole thing has put people off. Especially as I can get pretty good rugby each week in the RDS - and certainly better value

[Logorrhea]

I'm convinced that the team would have played better in front of a full house. I've never been more angry and frustrated at a match than I was on Saturday night.

You werent at the NZ game two years ago then.

[R-Dog]

Just wondering whats the official line with regards to bringing drinks into your seats. I know old lansdown/croker this was a no go. Was in the north stand for munster game and no alcohol allowed, but saturday was in the west lower and no problem bringing in pints. Some mates in the upper section said they couldn't bring in drinks, guessing one set of stewards was wrong here.

Anyone have an official line on this?

[dingbat]

From my point of view speaking as someone who has always gone to most AI's and 6N and at least one of the away games) - when they announced the 4 game package I just wrote off going to the AI's. Made plans for the Saturdays. So even when offered free tickets (and lunch) late last week I turned them down as I already had plans - didn't even g to the pub - got home 10 mins before the game and watched and turned it off on the final whistle.

I think you're right on the money, and I'd posted this today after failing to successfully place it anywhere.

http://doddernews.wordpress.com/2010/11 ... economics/

After the IRFU’s ticketing masterplan, suddenly their target customer was looking at a sum of nigh-on-€400, adding at least another €250 (allowing for a less hectic pace at the Samoa match and a Sunday Argentina game) to that already large sum.

That’s a lot of money. To one person, it’s the bones of a ski holiday; to another it’s their car insurance; to a third it’s half of their kid’s school fees for the year. And that’s for a person going alone, never mind one who would intend to bring friends or family.

As the match tickets paled in comparison, Joe Punter for the first time contemplated the simple notion of not watching the match from a stadium seat, considering instead the sofa or the high stool. Once that notion was explored, even for a moment, simply dropping the price closer to the old levels wasn’t going to do the trick.

Complementary goods, Economics 101. The IRFU took a mostly inelastic product called “going to the match” – previously compared to a decent meal out or a music concert – and moved it into another bracket entirely, filled with very expensive things against which tickets couldn’t possibly compete.

Once they’d done that, breaking the tickets into two batches made no difference. The spell was broken; tickets were now luxury items, not the essentials which they were once deemed to be. That, more than anything else, destroyed their demand and resulted in the alienation, even for a brief time, of their fanbase.