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« A match made in heaven? | | Rugby Photos of the Year » October 11, 2009 Posted on 10/11/2009 Feast for the eyes or eyesore?
We're all familiar with Stade Francais' fashion crimes but it appears other sides are keen to grab a share of the limelight. Cardiff Blues led (?) the way with their specially-produced kit for the Heineken Cup (top right) which should stand them in good stead should they be called on by the United Nations for some peace-keeping duties. But there's no such excuse for Ospreys (centre) and Biarritz (bottom) who set their sartorial standards at the beginning of the season - but none of them tasted defeat in the opening round so I dare say they won't be bothered to the extreme like Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson was by his side's infamous grey strip. A quick look at the opening round attendances illustrates the fact that the stench of 'Bloodgate' that soiled last year's competition has done little to quell the public's thirst for the competition. The packed houses at the RDS, Franklin's Gardens and Welford Road underlined the appeal of the tournament while only Super 10 side Treviso (2,800), Welsh region Scarlets (8,062) and Glasgow (3,111) failed to attract a crowd in excess of 10,000. The Italian side's upset of Perpignan is sure to bolster the attendance at their next game at Stadio Comunale di Monigo so should the Scarlets' hard-fought victory over Brive. While Glasgow's crowd was at least above average for the Magners League side. The Round 1 total was an impressive 152,000 spectators - the third highest in the history of the tournament. At this rate the tournament should welcome its 10,000,000th fan sooner rather than later in the pool stages. And whilst we're on the subject - congratulations to Toulouse speedster Vincent Clerc on claiming the all-time Heineken Cup try-scoring record. His brace against Sale took him past the well-travelled Dafydd James but he cannot rest on his laurels with Leinster's Brian O'Driscoll and Shane Horgan poised just behind him in the list. Bring on Round 2! Comments
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