Saracens taking Heineken Cup pool match to Belgium

[Nielsch]

1. Biarritz moves their HC games to San Sebastian cause ERC regulations don't allow them to play in their own stadium (too small). Kinda hard to blame this on your own club tbh. It's the nearest stadium that is suitable.

2. What have your lame parties got to do with TV rights, live coverage of regular season games (not just the Superbowl) and talks about a brand expansion into London?

3. "If these so called supporters were at all interested in rugby they would attend pre season friendlies". Seriously, what's with the anger here? I play rugby, I travel around Europe to visit rugby matches, I pay to watch rugby but if I won't visit a nearby pre-season friendly from a professional club instead of a nearby Heineken Cup match all of a sudden I'm a "so called supporter" who's not interested in the sport? What a load of ********.

Seriously, get your head out off your ass.

 

[Teh Mite]

Pre-season games never draw hugely - last year saints and leinster rematched the HEC final, using 2nd strings, pre-season and didn't pull big crowds. They're doing the same this year and I'll suspect the crowd will be fewer then 10000 at FG. A far cry from a full house in Cardiff.

Sarries are chasing a quick buck, kicking their regular home support (those who maybe cannot afford to travel to Europe for a home game) square in the balls. Even if the crowd is big, full of neutral supporters the atmosphere will be flat. Or even hostile towards them in support of BO.

"Expanding the game" is typical Eddie Griffiths spin and a smoke screen for the real reason they're carrying out the move.Sarries certainly won't pull in new fans abroad whith their gimmicky songs and half-time pop-music acts.

 

[Tony Manx]

1. Biarritz moves their HC games to San Sebastian cause ERC regulations don't allow them to play in their own stadium (too small). Kinda hard to blame this on your own club tbh. It's the nearest stadium that is suitable.

2. What have your lame parties got to do with TV rights, live coverage of regular season games (not just the Superbowl) and talks about a brand expansion into London?

3. "If these so called supporters were at all interested in rugby they would attend pre season friendlies". Seriously, what's with the anger here? I play rugby, I travel around Europe to visit rugby matches, I pay to watch rugby but if I won't visit a nearby pre-season friendly from a professional club instead of a nearby Heineken Cup match all of a sudden I'm a "so called supporter" who's not interested in the sport? What a load of ********.

Seriously, get your head out off your ass.

Seriously I have no anger issues what so ever...............I am trying to have a reasonable discussion!!

Biarritz regularly move Top 14 games to, and, indeed, tomorrow night are playing Bayonne in a pre-season friendly in, San Sebastian!

You made the point that the recent NFL games brought TV coverage into the UK...I was trying to say that they did no such thing but in a humorous way!

I would not call the people who turn up to the odd game no matter who is playing (for instance in Brussels that could be any one of Racing, Stade, Wasps, Saracens etc) that happens to be in their vicinity "supporters" of those clubs playing....I feel "supporters" are the season ticket holders and regular attendees or followers of a particular club the real supporters as they are spending their hard earned cash every season on their club.

You may prefer to differ, as is properly your right to do so and I really do have no problems with that but can assure you that, had my head been stuck up my arse, it would have made typing a tad more difficult than it already is for me!!

 

[Peat]

Which they do by playing games in Wembley. Didn't they play a friendly in the City last season too? I could be mistaken on that. Signing a bunch of England and South Africa internationals helps their brand recognition too. Playing in Brussels is merely another step towards boosting their profile.


Saracens are chasing fans just like you in London/the London Metropolitan area, Milton Keynes, Cape Town, Brussels and other places. If they don't get your money, they'll get someone elses.

All the London clubs are part of the big days out and all that. What have Sarries got beyond that?

However, I misspoke. I should have ignored the corporate language and said instead - Sarries should be working hard at attracting and keeping fans in the Greater London area. Because that's not the same as profile raising. And, if they are working hard at it, they're failing miserably. And part of that is because they are not focusing on London, and serving the guys who go to game after game, in pursuit of support in Brussels and Cape Town! People don't want to be part of that. My evidence for that is anecdotal, but it's a fairly wide range of anecdote, a lot of it drawn from a club with an affiliate link to Saracens. Who incidentally, don't really put up much advertising posters. And, of course, my anecdotal evidence would suggest that my views are fairly representative of a number of people (including failing to support a London rugby club), and that if they fail to get me, they'll fail to get them as well.

Nielsch - How many people do you know, in your general area, who you think would be willing to travel to London and go watch a Saracens game 2-3 times a season? More? How many of those people, having decided to make such a trip, would insist on going to see Sarries out of loyalty to them having played that game, and not instead go see Quins, who don't play a godawful style of rugby?