Poor 2017 blamed for underwhelming Waratahs crowd on Saturday night
THE revamped Super Rugby competition has had its first full round, but where were the crowds?
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WINNING will bring back the fans, Waratahs boss Andrew Hore said after a poor turnout for their opening match last weekend.
Crowds were underwhelming across the board as Super Rugby’s first full round was played.
The Tahs had 11,700 in attendance for their match at Allianz Stadium against the Cape Town Stormers, while the star-studded Melbourne Rebels drew 10,021 for their derby against Queensland.
While both teams had near identical crowds in their opening games of 2017, the low turnouts are alarming given SANZAAR cut three teams including Perth’s Western Force in a bid to revive the struggling competition.
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South African and Kiwi crowds were also generally lower than the opening round of last year.
In the cluttered Sydney sporting market, the Waratahs have seen crowds tumble since their 2014 grand final victory was witnessed by 61,823 fans at ANZ Stadium.
NSW finished third-last in 2017, but started their 2018 campaign in thrilling fashion by scoring after the full-time siren to defeat the Stormers 34-27.
“We expected a low crowd based on last year, we’re not concerned about that, we’ve just got to build an innings,” Hore said.
“It was disappointing but not unexpected, given it was South African opposition.
“We’ve got to focus on what we need to do get people back.
“We will work hard to ensure that when our day comes - and we’ll stay focused on creating that day - that we’ll deliver the best event possible.
“What is really pleasing is that there is better feeling around the game and in Australian rugby now, it’s not as hostile as it was last year.”
On television, the Tahs-Stormers match had 88,000 viewers watching on FoxSports, outrating Sunday night’s A-League derby between Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers (61,000).
The Waratahs are now on a two-week tour, playing South Africa’s Sharks in Durban this weekend before heading to Argentina the following week.
Their next home game will be against the Rebels on March 18. The Sunday afternoon fixture, against the revamped Melbourne outfit with a host of ex-Force stars and Wallabies, will likely see a much bigger turnout.
Meanwhile, Queensland hosts the Brumbies on Friday in another derby - the only match in Australia this weekend.
After coach Brad Thorn’s controversial decision to axe Quade Cooper from his squad, the turnout at Suncorp Stadium for their first home game will be telling.
The Brumbies will be missing rising backrow star Rob Valetini, who could miss most of the season after injuring his knee in the 32-25 win over the Sunwolves in Tokyo last Saturday.