[2018 Rugby Championship] Round 3: Australia v South Africa (08/09/2018)

[Kiwiwomble]

With all due respect to the Wallabies, Bok fans using them as a barometer are misguided. Rugby union is has very little interest in the country and is on a downward slope too. I'm amazed that the Wallabies are still competitive and it's a credit to the sport talent that Australia produces because they are punching way above their weight. SA should be crushing Australia in rugby. I know quantity don't equal quality but rugby union is much bigger in SA in almost every way except for ironically the national team results.

Put it this way, the AFL league is in the playoffs stage at the moment. Last week on the 6th (a Thursday) a crowd of 91446 attended a match and the very next day (Friday) a crowd of 91767 attended a match. Both matches were at the MCG and featured different teams. And these are elimination finals for essentially suburb teams within Melbourne! Source. They have a public holiday for the final in Melbourne. Not even kidding.
Where AFL isn't as popular (Sydney and Brisbane) Rugby League is way more popular than Union by quite a bit. The Broncos are the pride and joy of Brisbane and you see them everywhere. International cricket has a broader appeal too because it's most sports fans summer season sport, so Union and soccer duke it out for sloppy fourths.

Brisbane is considered one of strong holds of rugby union and it can barely scratch together 20,000 people to attend a match against one of their long time foes. I know more about the Wallabies than anyone in my office and I work in the fitness industry so there is a lot of sporty people in the office.

Not spelling out doom and gloom but honestly don't use the Wallabies as a barometer. They're getting less and less relevant. Rugby union is nowhere compared to how it was in the 90s, where it posed a genuine threat to AFL and League.

EDIT: To add to this Super Rugby has been detrimental for Australian rugby. Nobody wants to follow a sport where your team plays at 1am on a Sunday morning. Would SA fans do this? Same can be said to a lesser extent about TRC because it's a once a year. Australia needs to look outside of SANZAAR if they want to save union in this country.

I'll add to this, Round 12 of the AFL this season Collingwood v Melbourne.... two upper-mid table teams mid season...83,518, week before essendon v richmond 81,046...so its not even really much of a finals bump in numbers, they get out there week in week out, i think rugby could learn something from what AFL have done

 

[Derpus]

I'll add to this, Round 12 of the AFL this season Collingwood v Melbourne.... two upper-mid table teams mid season...83,518, week before essendon v richmond 81,046...so its not even really much of a finals bump in numbers, they get out there week in week out, i think rugby could learn something from what AFL have done

I read at some point that as a % of capacity over the course of a full season (so average capacity/total capacity) AFL is the second most attended sporting league in the world behind the Bundesliga. Find the link later.

So it's not like Rugby is competing with other sports of a similar nature. AFL is astronomically popular.

I wonder if NZ will ever take it up.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

I read at some point that as a % of capacity over the course of a full season (so average capacity/total capacity) AFL is the second most attended sporting league in the world behind the Bundesliga. Find the link later.

So it's not like Rugby is competing with other sports of a similar nature. AFL is astronomically popular.

I wonder if NZ will ever take it up.

i heard something similar but it was NFL that was better supported either way you have three leagues in three different sports that are ridiculously well supported and what i notice is they are all club focused which is what id like rugby to do, get people invested in their unions/clubs/franchises and the international will follow....at the moment we focus on internationals and the rest is left to die

fyi, NZ does have an AFL team and league at least in auckland, just dont have the population base to support another major sport, even football struggles

 

[Derpus]

i heard something similar but it was NFL that was better supported either way you have three leagues in three different sports that are ridiculously well supported and what i notice is they are all club focused which is what id like rugby to do, get people invested in their unions/clubs/franchises and the international will follow....at the moment we focus on internationals and the rest is left to die

x 100. There have been a series of articles in mainstream papers crying out for Rugby to be returned to its roots. Leave Folau in AFL and send that money to clubs.

Won't happen though. Too many vested interests and too much politics.

 

[User1245]

I'll add to this, Round 12 of the AFL this season Collingwood v Melbourne.... two upper-mid table teams mid season...83,518, week before essendon v richmond 81,046...so its not even really much of a finals bump in numbers, they get out there week in week out, i think rugby could learn something from what AFL have done

Being visible would be a great step forward. You don't see rugby union anywhere. AFL have AusKick from the age of 4 and up, and my daughter who is in public school got a form sent home about it and as well soccer. AFL is not even that popular in Brisbane as you probably know. Maybe it's an age thing but get them involved with touch at a rugby union club at least. From there get them into rugby. At least try.

I've gone to an AFL game last year and the pre-game stuff was great, there's a real atmosphere, stuff for kids to do, and it was for the Lions vs Suns which were fighting for the wooden spoon. I've been to Suncorp for the Reds a few times and there's nothing besides merch stands outside. I think for the Internationals they have a beer tent on the train station side.

I'm actually following both AFL and Rugby Union equally now. If there's a Crows vs Swans AFL match on and a Rebels vs Brumbies SR match on, I'd probably watch the AFL match. I find Rugby league boring. Rugby Union has gone down on my list recently because of its dysfunction in AU and because of WR's inaction on the racial quotas imposed on the Boks.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

Being visible would be a great step forward. You don't see rugby union anywhere. AFL have AusKick from the age of 4 and up, and my daughter who is in public school got a form sent home about it and as well soccer. AFL is not even that popular in Brisbane as you probably know. Maybe it's an age thing but get them involved with touch at a rugby union club at least. From there get them into rugby. At least try.

I've gone to an AFL game last year and the pre-game stuff was great, there's a real atmosphere, stuff for kids to do, and it was for the Lions vs Suns which were fighting for the wooden spoon. I've been to Suncorp for the Reds a few times and there's nothing besides merch stands outside. I think for the Internationals they have a beer tent on the train station side.

I'm actually following both AFL and Rugby Union equally now. If there's a Crows vs Swans AFL match on and a Rebels vs Brumbies SR match on, I'd probably watch the AFL match. I find Rugby league boring. Rugby Union has gone down on my list recently because of its dysfunction in AU and because of WR's inaction on the racial quotas imposed on the Boks.

I'm actually pretty close to that myself. here in melbourne there seems to be a clear hierarchy of how to watch go to the game > watch in a pub with mates > watch at home, its great. i eve keep an eye on my local VFL side