Heineken Cup 2013/14 Pool 2, Round 5 (Exeter v Glasgow, Toulon v Cardiff)

[FrenchFan]

The teams:


Well that collection of players won this very H Cup last year, and certainly were consistent and more than that...no, this year there's just a lack of hunger every once in a while from them, Laporte got sick and tired of it and threatened to leave for good. A lot like Toulouse, they just need to focus hard and play this one the way they can, and in deed, a big "collection" of points could be dropped on Cardiff. They're not losing this, man. No way.

Laporte never even hinted at leaving. He has no intention of leaving Toulon. He left the stadium because he was angry with the ref's decision and to avoid risky comment about the ref. The blabla that ensued about him leaving the club is media spin. Toulon filled a soccer stadium with +30 000 crowd and came out playing today. Cardiff was blitzed in 40 minutes.

 

[SelimNiai]

33,000? I'm not impressed considering the huge amount of money spent on that squad. Any team who has that amount of gifted resources should be pulling that in anyway. I find it much more impressive when the Irish and English teams pull in 40-60,000 without a crazy millionaire involved.

Good luck to them pulling 40k into a 35k stadium they played in today

 

[FrenchFan]

33,000? I'm not impressed considering the huge amount of money spent on that squad. Any team who has that amount of gifted resources should be pulling that in anyway. I find it much more impressive when the Irish and English teams pull in 40-60,000 without a crazy millionaire involved.

thats easier said than done. THey dont pay people to go to the stadium and Nice are a soccer town. Who can pull that kind of capacity in Europe for just a POOL game. No one else. Irish and Eng dont pull that kind of number for a pool game.

 

[Will]

Again too little too late from Glasgow. Still, I have my tickets for the Toulon game at Scotstoun next week so here's hoping we can end of a high.

 

[Feicarsinn]

thats easier said than done. THey dont pay people to go to the stadium and Nice are a soccer town. Who can pull that kind of capacity in Europe for just a POOL game. No one else. Irish and Eng dont pull that kind of number for a pool game.

While I don't agree with Bluemoon's arguement, we brought in 47,000 for the Northampton game. Cheapest adult tickets were around 20 euro.

 

[FrenchFan]

I have nothing against Toulon, I simply think they were a poor side given a massive bit of help by the referee.
Penalty count 20-5...

yes and 4 yellow cards. But Cardiff asked for it. If they give that many penalties they have only themlseves to blame.
Some of the yellows were justified. The 4th yellow invovles a Cardiff player kicking the ball out of the hands of the Toulon scrum half just off a ruck!

 

[FrenchFan]

While I don't agree with Bluemoon's arguement, we brought in 47,000 for the Northampton game. Cheapest adult tickets were around 20 euro.

47000 for a pool game? thats amazing. I stand corrected if thats the case. No bother, my ego can take it ) Its fanstatic to see that kind of support.

 

[Rich Taff]

Taken a while to calm down. Glad to see that the sheer ineptitude and bias of the referee wasn't all in my mind.

 

[Bluemoon]

thats easier said than done. THey dont pay people to go to the stadium and Nice are a soccer town. Who can pull that kind of capacity in Europe for just a POOL game. No one else. Irish and Eng dont pull that kind of number for a pool game.

Others are doing it for just a pool game.

Saracens - Toulouse - 61K
Leinster - Northampton - 47K

 

[Bluemoon]

My argument is just that when you spend so much money, outside of normal means, to get an international team and therefore a quality team then large crowds don't impress me as much as when a team like Leinster or Saracens pull in a crowd. If they impress you thats fine!

 

[Feicarsinn]

47000 for a pool game? thats amazing. I stand corrected if thats the case. No bother, my ego can take it ) Its fanstatic to see that kind of support.

Tbh, given the context it's not all that impressive. Leinster are the biggest show in a city of about 1.5 million. It's always going to be easier to bring in a big crowd than in provincial cities.

 

[FrenchFan]

Good luck to them pulling 40k into a 35k stadium they played in today

the figure is 31 172 spectators. Its huge for a pool game in a Non rugby town like Nice.

http://www.rctoulon.com/fr/equipe/match/1135/

 

[Bluemoon]

Just out of interest, whats the average crowd for a league game with Toulon?

 

[FrenchFan]

Others are doing it for just a pool game.

Saracens - Toulouse - 61K
Leinster - Northampton - 47K

fair enough. Yes Wembley for Sarries is a big stadium. Not bad for a destructive, hated, mercenary, out to wreck Int rugby side like Toulon though ;-))

 

[FrenchFan]

Just out of interest, whats the average crowd for a league game with Toulon?

at home they fill Mayol with 15 000. Their stadium is too small thats why they move to other locations like Nice today.

 

[Bluemoon]

fair enough. Yes Wembley for Sarries is a big stadium. Not bad for a destructive, hated, mercenary, out to wreck Int rugby side like Toulon though ;-))

Haha please, I won't go that far. They have an amazing team, but operating from a privileged position thats all.

I think my lack of enthusiasm springs from whats happening here in Wales. We are at the other end of the spectrum. You lose your best players because of resources and then the product isn't as appealing, you lose games and you generate less crowds. Its more complicated than that and not really for this thread. But it is certainly playing a part in whats happening here in Wales.

Once upon a time the big Welsh clubs operated in a similar way but not on the same scale.

 

[munstermuffin]

If it was away and you marketed it right you might get 30k Munster fans alone