Most Rugby Mad Countries ..

Starburst · Post by **Starburst** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 7:22 am

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/4/sto ... d=10494798

NZ rugby attendances are actually down, as are TC viewing figures.

But attendances don't tell the true story. Teams like Llanelli and the Spreys may struggle to have the same attendances as other clubs/provinces etc but remember these are small places. I've been to llanelli and the place is tiny, I'm surprised they get the crowds they do.

Wales can only have a population of 2m people yet there will probably around 200,000 people watching the game in the ground or the pubs in Cardiff. Thats one in 10 of the population.

I watched the Wales v Scotland game in 2005 and there was over 70,000 Welsh people in Edinburgh. I walked down Rose street at 10am and every pub was full of people in red shirts singing. The pubs won't start serving until 12. In the ground it didn't feel like a home game for Scotland there were Welsh everywhere.

I've also had friends from NZ stay with me and go to a 6Nations game and they have never experienced anything like it. While I've never been to NZ, Oz to see myself in their opinion you don't get the same excitment or atmosphere in southern hemishere Internationals.

Kinoulton · Post by **Kinoulton** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 8:02 am

So are we agreed then that the Welsh are the most passionate rugby supporters in the Northern Hemisphere (per capita) but not as fervent as those in New Zealand and Fiji?

Not that I wish to spoil a good squabble!

Rizzo · Post by **Rizzo** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 11:15 am

Fervent supporters all, but it's only a game.....

*ducks and runs to hide*

Boland · Post by **Boland** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 2:33 pm

Bill W wrote:Sorry.

I have been to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Wales, Scotland and of course England.
The Welsh passion is no where near that of the New Zealanders.

Compared to the New Zealanders the Welsh are mice. And pretty inferior mice at that!

Well i was up in twickenham for the england wales match,we went to a local cafe the day after the famous victory .The cafe owner said whats the occasion boys,we said we are up here for the rugby.He said whos playing.We said we played you lot yesterday ,he said what lot ,we said you lot ,he said what lot ,we said you lot england .He said did we play rugby yesterday,we said yes,you tried to play rugby yesterday.He then said i didnt think we had a rugby team.We all said oh no you didnt have a rugby team you were like inferior mice in the second half.Fact is england rank down the bottom of the supporters league because your own people living in london didnt even know there was a game on .

burly bill mclaren · Post by **burly bill mclaren** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 2:43 pm

Its very hard to compare really isnt it? obviously its a national sport in fiji , new zealand and Wales
then you take into account the size of these countries, the feeling for the game, the kids playing the pitches and so on. this is all affected by population, economics, demographics

New zealand is number 1
with 4.2 million they are obsessed and also they get good support at regional/provincial level. they have huge numbers per head playing the game and its dominates media totally. they turned professional 10 years before europe did. being small and independent from the european politics new zealand can make changes easier than europeans, they can get things built quicker and cheaper too. downside too insular, not enough other interests and steal too many non kiwi players ruthlessly.

wales id place second, they took the game to fiji, argentina and Italy. and look at how those seeds have grown. they have a 2.9 million population due to destruction of industry. this means many old strongholds have no people there anymore to support teams. this forced them to take the radical bold brave decision to invent 4 new regional teams. this means when all are firmly established and all 4 stadiums are complete welsh teams will end up as well supported as kiwi sides. the national team is the best supported sports team in the entire world of sport

fiji-they are amazing. they dominate sevens eevry year, their 15 man game continues to grow and improve. all despite endlesss political and economic unrest. and all despite having very basic facilities , no annual tournament and a small population and all their best players stolen by aussie and all blacks. they produce world class stars all the time

Boland · Post by **Boland** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 3:46 pm

Starburst wrote:http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/4/sto ... d=10494798

NZ rugby attendances are actually down, as are TC viewing figures.

But attendances don't tell the true story. Teams like Llanelli and the Spreys may struggle to have the same attendances as other clubs/provinces etc but remember these are small places. I've been to llanelli and the place is tiny, I'm surprised they get the crowds they do.

Wales can only have a population of 2m people yet there will probably around 200,000 people watching the game in the ground or the pubs in Cardiff. Thats one in 10 of the population.

I watched the Wales v Scotland game in 2005 and there was over 70,000 Welsh people in Edinburgh. I walked down Rose street at 10am and every pub was full of people in red shirts singing. The pubs won't start serving until 12. In the ground it didn't feel like a home game for Scotland there were Welsh everywhere.

I've also had friends from NZ stay with me and go to a 6Nations game and they have never experienced anything like it. While I've never been to NZ, Oz to see myself in their opinion you don't get the same excitment or atmosphere in southern hemishere Internationals.

I disagree with you about the ospreys attendances.They average about 11,000 this season ,and thats in a league where we are playing the likes of glasgow,edingburgh,newport etc.I think wasps only get about 7,500 on average,gloucester around 12,000,bath 10,000.If we play top english teams we get about 18,000 turn up.Dont forget we are a young club only five years old ,and last year we were the top selling jersey in the whole of great britain selling fourty thousad jerseys.Munster when they went regional only attracted 4,000 per game and look at them now.Iam fortunate enough to support the ospreys and watch them grow year after year.There i had to get that of my chest.Boland.

Dave Angel · Post by **Dave Angel** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 4:18 pm

burly bill mclaren wrote:wales id place second, they took the game to fiji, argentina and Italy. and look at how those seeds have grown. they have a 2.9 million population due to destruction of industry. this means many old strongholds have no people there anymore to support teams. this forced them to take the radical bold brave decision to invent 4 new regional teams. this means when all are firmly established and all 4 stadiums are complete welsh teams will end up as well supported as kiwi sides. the national team is the best supported sports team in the entire world of sport

Using that same "logic", who took the game to Wales in the first place? The English!

Trust me, Fiji are well ahead of Wales, though Wales are still ahead of most other countries.

Also, you claim that in a population of 2m people (though the 2001 census gave the population as 2.9m), 1 in 10 Welsh people watch the international games.

Well what about the island of Niue?
It has a population of only 1,679 and yet it has 310 registered rugby players. That's 1 in 5 of the population who are officially reistered to PLAY rugby!
(By comparison, Wales have approx 42,000 registered players or 1 in 100 of the population).

Therefore maybe Niue are a far more "Rugby mad" country than Wales?!?

If you'd seen them at the 2002 Commonweath Games (as I did) you would fully believe it!

Kinoulton · Post by **Kinoulton** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 4:23 pm

Good shout.

We are the knights who say Niue!

burly bill mclaren · Post by **burly bill mclaren** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 5:01 pm

pls tell us more about niue

Im intrigued, its not a village round here is it?

Dave Angel · Post by **Dave Angel** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 5:28 pm

Niue is a small island in the South Pacific & their Rugby Union joined the IRB in 1999.

Currently they are ranked 69th in the world.

They competed in the 2002 Commonwealth Games and, although being thrashed in every match, got the biggest cheer from the crowd of any competing team.

They also earned the respect of New Zealand when the two sides faced each other in a pool game & challenged each other with their respective Hakas.

Due to a lack of funding for more athletes and the desire not to waste their time, some of the Niue 7s team at the Commonweath Games also formed their 4x100m relay team & one guy (Matt Faleuka) made it a hat-trick of event by running the 100m as well, all in the same week!

That is the true spirit of the Games!

When Niue play international matches, almost the entire population of the island attend the game!

Iain · Post by **Iain** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 6:01 pm

Other interesting fact about Nieue is that there are more Nieueans living in Auckland than Nieue! Used to know a few Nieueans when I lived there. In fact I think my housemate's sister was going out with the Nieuean captain or something.

Bill W · Post by **Bill W** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 6:41 pm

There are also more "Welsh" living in England than live in Wales; more English living in Wales than live in Tottenham, and more Jamaicans living in Tottenham than live in Kingston.

And before BBM accuses me once again of being racist my son in law (who is about 3 yards from me and colluded with this posting) is Jamaican!!