Peter Bills writes of his concern at dwindling attendances in the southern hemisphere in The Independent.
"It is a comment on the realities of trying to get spectators out to rugby union Test matches in Australia, where rival sports such as rugby league and AFL continue to take a huge chunk of the sporting market. This is a problem of long standing in Australia and it has got worse for the union authorities in recent times.
"Admittedly, the venue, Stadium ANZ way out in Sydney’s western suburbs and the site of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, does not help. It is not popular, is a long way from the city and has no local identity or character even when you get there.
"Even so, rugby union bosses in northern hemisphere countries like England, Ireland, Wales etc. would be horrified at the idea of offering so heavily discounted tickets for any international matches. The authorities at places like Twickenham rarely do it for any major game, yet the crowds continue to pour in."
RSS feed
