Wales - Not interested in rugby

[Paddington Bear]

Not quite. I've been getting (mis) targeted ads telling me to buy tickets for Wales - France for a week, out of curiosity I clicked on to see how many are left:
https://www.eticketing.co.uk/principali ... Index/1203

Basically whole blocks unsold. Madness but not nearly as mad as the price! £100 for an upper deck ticket behind the goal is absolutely scandalous.
Rugby cannot sustain this, surely.

[Slick]

Murrayfield is beginning to take the piss as well. My debenture for the France game was £45 4 years ago, was £85 this year.

Understand Covid etc, but it wasn't that long ago we couldn't fill the stadium and I have to say that the French game definitely had a kind of corporate feel to the atmosphere.

[Margin__Walker]

Not quite. I've been getting (mis) targeted ads telling me to buy tickets for Wales - France for a week, out of curiosity I clicked on to see how many are left:
https://www.eticketing.co.uk/principali ... Index/1203

Basically whole blocks unsold. Madness but not nearly as mad as the price! £100 for an upper deck ticket behind the goal is absolutely scandalous.
Rugby cannot sustain this, surely.

That's pretty mad. By the time you've factored in travel, food and drink and potentially accommodation, taking your family to a game is looking eye wateringly expensive.

[Jim Lahey]

The IRFU are the same. I paid £85 to go to the NZ game in 2018 (worth every penny tbf) but I think the prices for the game last Autumn (behind the goals in the corner) were £140-ish.

Rugby is slowly losing its soul. I had the opportunity to go on a corporate-do to Twickers this Saturday and turned it down on the basis that I don't want to watch an important game with lads that are just there for a jolly and don't understand the game, and their wives. Fark that.

[GogLais]

Just looked now, yes, great swathes still available. I've no idea whether they're charging more this year.

[inactionman]

I generally get tickets for Twickenham through club ballots, so I'm typically sat with club members (for better or for worse!) - last few times have definitely been the cheap seats, for the last Wales game I could almost touch the roof of the stand behind the goal. Wondering if the better tickets - at even more eyewatering prices - are being reserved for the corporate day trippers.

If so, it seems the wrong way round - let the club fans who actually follow the game have the ringside seats, surely?

[Crash669]

Murrayfield is beginning to take the piss as well. My debenture for the France game was £45 4 years ago, was £85 this year.

Understand Covid etc, but it wasn't that long ago we couldn't fill the stadium and I have to say that the French game definitely had a kind of corporate feel to the atmosphere.

My wife saw loads of games because kids used to go to Murrayfield during the autumn internationals for a fiver - I'm assuming this has all stopped now?

The cost was the main reason I didn't come out to the Calcutta cup match, spending £150 on an afternoon of rugby just isn't an option.

[Slick]

Murrayfield is beginning to take the piss as well. My debenture for the France game was £45 4 years ago, was £85 this year.

Understand Covid etc, but it wasn't that long ago we couldn't fill the stadium and I have to say that the French game definitely had a kind of corporate feel to the atmosphere.

My wife saw loads of games because kids used to go to Murrayfield during the autumn internationals for a fiver - I'm assuming this has all stopped now?

The cost was the main reason I didn't come out to the Calcutta cup match, spending £150 on an afternoon of rugby just isn't an option.

They did a £1 deal for kids for the Tonga game. I think they are reasonably good with kids going to be honest, always seems to be big school/club groups there but no idea on costs.

[Paddington Bear]

Makes me sad seeing how many tickets are going second hand for Saturday - people charging £700 a ticket +. You have to assume people pay this but still.

[sockwithaticket]

I generally get tickets for Twickenham through club ballots, so I'm typically sat with club members (for better or for worse!) - last few times have definitely been the cheap seats, for the last Wales game I could almost touch the roof of the stand behind the goal. Wondering if the better tickets - at even more eyewatering prices - are being reserved for the corporate day trippers.

If so, it seems the wrong way round - let the club fans who actually follow the game have the ringside seats, surely?

Danny Care and Sam Warburton have been doing a series of 6N Greatest podcasts on the beeb and on the stadiums one Care touches on this. He talks about how poor Twickenham's atmosphere often is compared to others and in part puts it down to 'prawn sandwiches' brigade which may be an allusion to the amount of corporate types that pack out the stands. I certainly know people who have no interest in rugby who've received tickets through work and go for a day out. It did occur to me when it was brought up that they'll appreciate those tickets much less than others I know who lack the opportunity to get hold of them. As long as the stands and coffers are full, the RFU won't really mind.

[Mr Bubble Gum]

Isn’t getting in and out of Cardiff for a Friday night game a bit of a clusterfuck? Might have some bearing on things. They’ve never been that popular.

[inactionman]

Isn’t getting in and out of Cardiff for a Friday night game a bit of a clusterfuck? Might have some bearing on things. They’ve never been that popular.

If there's one thing I've learnt about the millennium is just to go and make a day of it, no point trying to get away.

I went to Northampton-Leinster final and it was a great game, but needed to get back to Bath - spent 2 1/2 hours in queue at train station which took a lot of gloss away - got a rollicking for that, might as well have just gone for a few more pints as I got the blame for that in any case.

[Paddington Bear]

After the Australia Fiji game in the 2015 world cup I only got home that night because they put on extra trains back to London using old British Rail rolling stock.

[OomStruisbaai]

You lot need the Springboks to sell tickets

[westport]

A friend of mine from Wales posted this elsewhere

A big part of the problem with the France match is that it kicks off at 8 pm on a Friday night. I mean who wants to go to see a rugby match that kicks off at that time on a Friday night? If you don’t actually live in Cardiff there is going to be a big problem with travel and/or accommodation. Hotels will be way overpriced and booked out way in advance. You’ll come out of the game and it will be, what? Ten o’clock at night. Even trains to relatively proximate stations (by the time you’ve queued up and caught one) will get you home bloody late.

If kick off was normal time - early Saturday afternoon - you could have a couple of warmers into the bank before hand. No alcohol at your seat wouldn’t be a problem. You could go out afterwards for a few beers and a curry, or you could travel home and still get home at a reasonable time.

The WRU has accepted games with a Friday night kick-off. Some other unions haven’t. I’ve never been happy that the WRU did. While I enjoy travelling down from the midlands to watch games in Cardiff, I won’t (and never have) travel down for a Friday night game. Hopefully the WRU will learn from this that they should stick to Saturday afternoon games.

[inactionman]

A friend of mine from Wales posted this elsewhere

A big part of the problem with the France match is that it kicks off at 8 pm on a Friday night. I mean who wants to go to see a rugby match that kicks off at that time on a Friday night? If you don’t actually live in Cardiff there is going to be a big problem with travel and/or accommodation. Hotels will be way overpriced and booked out way in advance. You’ll come out of the game and it will be, what? Ten o’clock at night. Even trains to relatively proximate stations (by the time you’ve queued up and caught one) will get you home bloody late.

If kick off was normal time - early Saturday afternoon - you could have a couple of warmers into the bank before hand. No alcohol at your seat wouldn’t be a problem. You could go out afterwards for a few beers and a curry, or you could travel home and still get home at a reasonable time.

The WRU has accepted games with a Friday night kick-off. Some other unions haven’t. I’ve never been happy that the WRU did. While I enjoy travelling down from the midlands to watch games in Cardiff, I won’t (and never have) travel down for a Friday night game. Hopefully the WRU will learn from this that they should stick to Saturday afternoon games.

Aye - I think Friday night works better for club games, at least for home fans. I used to love a match at the Rec on a Friday night, as it's 100 yards to the pub afterwards, but more importantly it was a 20 minute walk home when I lived there. Getting back from Twickenham would be a nightmare, and I'm not alone - the nature of internationals means the catchment is huge, even for home fans. I was at least fortunate that the rail line out of Twickenham goes to Reading where I could change for the West Country, but anyone going north would have a horrible journey. I'd think that would be similar for all Welsh fans heading outside of the Cardiff/Swansea corridor.

[Slick]

Love a Friday night game on the TV to be fair.

[SaintK]

You lot need the Springboks to sell tickets

Really?
Do some research old chap
Twickenham sells out every 6N match twice over. As they do with every other match against Tier 1 opposition as well
FFS there were even 70,000 at the Tonga match in the Autumn
We neither need or want you in the 6N

[Biffer]

South Africa were the last of the three big SH teams to sell out a game at Murrayfield. New Zealand were the first, Australia after that.

Edit - just checked and actually we had a sell out v Fiji before we ever had a sell out v South Africa.

[Blackmac]

Murrayfield is beginning to take the piss as well. My debenture for the France game was £45 4 years ago, was £85 this year.

Understand Covid etc, but it wasn't that long ago we couldn't fill the stadium and I have to say that the French game definitely had a kind of corporate feel to the atmosphere.

My wife saw loads of games because kids used to go to Murrayfield during the autumn internationals for a fiver - I'm assuming this has all stopped now?

The cost was the main reason I didn't come out to the Calcutta cup match, spending £150 on an afternoon of rugby just isn't an option.

Murrayfield has definitely become an event for the Instagram and Facebook crowds. I have very few friends, all life long rugby fans, who go to the matches anymore and I would imagine it's nearly a majority of the crowd that will never have stepped on a rugby field.

[Slick]

Murrayfield is beginning to take the piss as well. My debenture for the France game was £45 4 years ago, was £85 this year.

Understand Covid etc, but it wasn't that long ago we couldn't fill the stadium and I have to say that the French game definitely had a kind of corporate feel to the atmosphere.

My wife saw loads of games because kids used to go to Murrayfield during the autumn internationals for a fiver - I'm assuming this has all stopped now?

The cost was the main reason I didn't come out to the Calcutta cup match, spending £150 on an afternoon of rugby just isn't an option.

Murrayfield has definitely become an event for the Instagram and Facebook crowds. I have very few friends, all life long rugby fans, who go to the matches anymore and I would imagine it's nearly a majority of the crowd that will never have stepped on a rugby field.

Agree to a point, it's definitely an event for the "Edinburgh set" more than perhaps in the past, was also amazed at the numbers of French at the game a couple of weeks ago who presumably got a lot of their tickets through mates etc. However, the England game still seems to be largely the proper rugby crowd.

Will be interesting to see how they price Italy next year

[happytramp]

You lot need the Springboks to sell tickets

For sheer value for money they can't be beat. 120min games for the price of 80.

[GogLais]

You lot need the Springboks to sell tickets

For sheer value for money they can't be beat. 120min games for the price of 80.

Followed by a free analysis video by the coach.

[GogLais]

A friend of mine from Wales posted this elsewhere

A big part of the problem with the France match is that it kicks off at 8 pm on a Friday night. I mean who wants to go to see a rugby match that kicks off at that time on a Friday night? If you don’t actually live in Cardiff there is going to be a big problem with travel and/or accommodation. Hotels will be way overpriced and booked out way in advance. You’ll come out of the game and it will be, what? Ten o’clock at night. Even trains to relatively proximate stations (by the time you’ve queued up and caught one) will get you home bloody late.

If kick off was normal time - early Saturday afternoon - you could have a couple of warmers into the bank before hand. No alcohol at your seat wouldn’t be a problem. You could go out afterwards for a few beers and a curry, or you could travel home and still get home at a reasonable time.

The WRU has accepted games with a Friday night kick-off. Some other unions haven’t. I’ve never been happy that the WRU did. While I enjoy travelling down from the midlands to watch games in Cardiff, I won’t (and never have) travel down for a Friday night game. Hopefully the WRU will learn from this that they should stick to Saturday afternoon games.

That's probably all true but as far as I remember we've filled the stadium on Friday nights in the past.

[Wrinkles]

A friend of mine from Wales posted this elsewhere

A big part of the problem with the France match is that it kicks off at 8 pm on a Friday night. I mean who wants to go to see a rugby match that kicks off at that time on a Friday night? If you don’t actually live in Cardiff there is going to be a big problem with travel and/or accommodation. Hotels will be way overpriced and booked out way in advance. You’ll come out of the game and it will be, what? Ten o’clock at night. Even trains to relatively proximate stations (by the time you’ve queued up and caught one) will get you home bloody late.

If kick off was normal time - early Saturday afternoon - you could have a couple of warmers into the bank before hand. No alcohol at your seat wouldn’t be a problem. You could go out afterwards for a few beers and a curry, or you could travel home and still get home at a reasonable time.

The WRU has accepted games with a Friday night kick-off. Some other unions haven’t. I’ve never been happy that the WRU did. While I enjoy travelling down from the midlands to watch games in Cardiff, I won’t (and never have) travel down for a Friday night game. Hopefully the WRU will learn from this that they should stick to Saturday afternoon games.

That's probably all true but as far as I remember we've filled the stadium on Friday nights in the past.

Friday night games in Cardiff have always been a pain in the arse. Add-in post-COVID restrictions on tickets having to be on smart phones (thereby removing a significant demographic, including my old man and the old boy up the street), piss-taking ticket prices, the hassle that is international travel these days and a possible reluctance by some to be in crowds, and you’re probably losing at least 10,000 of the potential crowd. Not a problem for Twickenham (where they’ve never been daft enough to go for Friday matches), but a significant one in Cardiff.

[Paddington Bear]

A friend of mine from Wales posted this elsewhere

A big part of the problem with the France match is that it kicks off at 8 pm on a Friday night. I mean who wants to go to see a rugby match that kicks off at that time on a Friday night? If you don’t actually live in Cardiff there is going to be a big problem with travel and/or accommodation. Hotels will be way overpriced and booked out way in advance. You’ll come out of the game and it will be, what? Ten o’clock at night. Even trains to relatively proximate stations (by the time you’ve queued up and caught one) will get you home bloody late.

If kick off was normal time - early Saturday afternoon - you could have a couple of warmers into the bank before hand. No alcohol at your seat wouldn’t be a problem. You could go out afterwards for a few beers and a curry, or you could travel home and still get home at a reasonable time.

The WRU has accepted games with a Friday night kick-off. Some other unions haven’t. I’ve never been happy that the WRU did. While I enjoy travelling down from the midlands to watch games in Cardiff, I won’t (and never have) travel down for a Friday night game. Hopefully the WRU will learn from this that they should stick to Saturday afternoon games.

That's probably all true but as far as I remember we've filled the stadium on Friday nights in the past.

Generally been against England though I think?

It's a tough one - as a TV viewer I love the Friday night games. They are genuinely exciting occasions in a way a Sunday afternoon game isn't. For punters going though you're really talking about taking at least a half day and a ballache afterwards.

[Paddington Bear]

Rumour is the crowd situation is worse than it looks on the ticketing system as a lot of clubs haven't sold anywhere near their application...

[Niegs]

Rumour is the crowd situation is worse than it looks on the ticketing system as a lot of clubs haven't sold anywhere near their application...

Saw someone on twitter say this, and that their club will be out 2k because of it. That's some gamble to take on what I assume is meant to be a tiny fundraising initiative?

[SaintK]

Rumour is the crowd situation is worse than it looks on the ticketing system as a lot of clubs haven't sold anywhere near their application...

Just had a look out of interest.
Huge swathes of the Upper stands with between 40% and 60% availibility. Including the alcohol free zones!!!
This will hit the WRU hard in the wallet if it's not a sell out and the clubs haven't sold out. Something they can ill afford

[Hal Jordan]

Friday is a shit day for rugby, anyway.

[SaintK]

Friday is a shit day for rugby, anyway.

Definitely for an international match

[GogLais]

As of now (5:00 pm on Friday) loads of availability left at the upper levels, 90%+ in some blocks. A bit late for a quick dash down the A470, seems that Wales France 1966 will have been my only visit. 9-8 to Wales by a Stuart Watkins interception try.

[GogLais]

Seems to be accepted that only about 60k have been sold, 15k short of capacity. Perhaps the missing ones are watching Scarlets against some SA combo.

[I like neeps]

Friday is a shit day for rugby, anyway.

It's the best day of the week for rugby for fans at a pub or watching from home imo.

Not at all good for going to the match though. And tickets are too expensive.

[Tichtheid]

Friday is a shit day for rugby, anyway.

It's the best day of the week for rugby for fans at a pub or watching from home imo.

Not at all good for going to the match though. And tickets are too expensive.

Yeah, I'm too far away to get to any Scotland or Edin/Glasgow games, so I like Friday night rugby, though I can appreciate the difficulties in relying on public transport and getting back from work before setting out to the ground etc.

Take away pizza, beer and rugby on tv is a good Friday night for me in my dotage here.

[Paddington Bear]

Likewise a big fan of them from a tv viewer perspective

[Slick]

Yeah, love a Friday night game on the TV.

Getting the kids to bed then fishfingers, beans and chips for me

[weegie01]

Murrayfield is beginning to take the piss as well. My debenture for the France game was £45 4 years ago, was £85 this year.

Understand Covid etc, but it wasn't that long ago we couldn't fill the stadium and I have to say that the French game definitely had a kind of corporate feel to the atmosphere.

I was surprised to see a considerable number of touts outside the stadium, and quite a few gaps inside.

I don't think my son has missed a home game since he was about 6, and although he went to the England game, I decided that the time had come to scale back a bit. So at 22 and with his business doing quite well, he decided that he'd treat his old Dad and buy the tickets.

This was the first time he had paid for platinum tickets. Shock of his life.

[TB63]

Yeah, love a Friday night game on the TV.

Getting the kids to bed then fishfingers, beans and chips for me

You Heston Blumenthal you..

[bogbunny]

Yeah, love a Friday night game on the TV.

Getting the kids to bed then fishfingers, beans and chips for me

You Heston Blumenthal you..

Food of the Dogs on a rugby night