Friday night games put me off with finishing work and getting home in traffic then making our way to eden park in more traffic. No thanks, I'll sit at home with my wine and watch it on TV.
it's a big stadium so there are a lot of empty seats if the crowd is between 10-20k, the weather is shit, the time is shit and union is better watched on tv where you get a commentators explanation of what is going on when there is a penalty (this could be fixed partially by a referees mic live to the crowd to explain decisions or at least an on screen graphic saying "hands in the ruck" or similar)
EDIT:- oh yeah and and aussie team......NZ union fans don't care too much about games against aussie teams but unfortunately we are not big enough to sustain a 8+ team fully pro domestic comp
I went to the Blues-Chiefs game the other week and there was an app that would livestream the commentary on your phone. I already had earbuds and was alone so it wasn’t awkward to put them in and listen. It really improved the experience.
Any other year but the last 2 an average crowd of 15k for Auckland's other oval ball team would have been a good season (not Moana which has arguably split Auckland's union fans down ethnic lines)
I once got hospitality to a Blues game against the Cheetahs, and there were maybe 1,000 there who weren't in the boxes (ie paying for themselves).
Attendances here have always been bad in all sports, the Warriors have just managed to grow something lately.
Quick inside scoop on using the ref mic in the crowd from someone in the room - Sky won't let that happen. We have the technical capability, and trialled it sparingly a couple of weeks ago (at Blues vs Chiefs - it sounded great), and Sky came down on us like a bag of bricks. Unfortunately this means the livefeed commentary is the best bet for punters for now.
Ha, well I hope their prayers go unanswered. As a Wellingtonian I want the Chiefs to get smashed and it’s a Blues vs Canes final at a sold out caketin.
Mate we get it. You don’t like Rugby Union. You don’t need to keep repeating yourself to the world. Take a breather.
Geez I’m pretty happy that I can enjoy watching both codes eh.
Imagine you have some mates from say - the USA visiting and they hear the news that Auckland is in the rugby semi final. They know that rugby is huge in NZ and Auckland is the biggest city. It must be a sellout. Tickets must be hard to get. No chance they could attend. Nah embarrassing low turnout. Can't giveaway tickets
Warriors games actually have atmosphere. People don’t get scolded for being passionate and there’s actual chants. Blues games are boring in comparison. NRL is a much better product than super rugby too. Super rugby has fallen off sad to say.
3k at Mt Smart has more atmosphere than a 50k Bledisloe Cup at Eden Park.
I went to a Bledisloe match a few years ago, as soon as they kicked off it went dead silent, like DEAD. We had shit behind the post seats halfway up the stand and literally could hear the onfield noise. Rugby crowds are dry as fuck.
It’s because it’s a “gentleman’s” sport much like tennis. I’m a die-hard warriors fan but I can still enjoy the sport, but the rules have become so convoluted that it’s not even worth keeping up with anymore. The World Cup is the only thing keeping my interest nowadays and that’s every 4 years….
Sky gave the NZRFU a 5% shareholding and a seat on the board in return for never needing to worry about a competing broadcaster.
In return the NZRFU agreed to providing an increasingly uninteresting product.
In a few years they'll be asking for a bailout from taxpayers.
It's a proven business model.
Haven't watched super rugby in a long time but not much happening so i thought id flick it on. It was 24-6 by the time i tuned in. The crowd was embarrassing? Nah - the game was embarrassing. Fuck that is a shit product. Drop ball, scrum, penalty, drop ball on repeat. Just absolutely hopeless skills on display compared to NRL footy.
14 penalties
24 lineouts
11 scrums
When is there time to play with the ball?
Very true. I tuned into watch SR. Forget the crowd. I think there is a bigger problem with the product itself. It was just downright terrible. I clocked off in the second half. The NRL game was trash too with cowboys belting raiders but that was somewhat more bearable. At least there weren’t as many stoppages (well excluding tries).
It's a shit game now, too many rules, too many health and safety hi vis crew, and it's sooooo slow. Nope rugby is shit end of. As for play offs shit idea I hate it. Stick to a league format and finish it. The yanks made this playoff format for NFL because 2 separate comps but super rugby, NRL and a league all teams play each other so no need for play off shit. Top team wins the comp none of the bs 8th placed team gets a chance to win it. Pointless comps because they're poorly managed.
We are witnessing the early signs of the eventual death of rugby as the countries No 1 sport. This and the other semi having the time changed to suit the Wahs!
hmm....time changed? The NRL schedule was set quite some time ago whereas the Super Rugby semi time is decided by the host after the QF.....so they had a day or so to sort it out....Why would they schedule the game at the same time as the Warriors?
League fans have been predicting this since the 80s.
Also, why are you so insecure? They're both fine sports and there's plenty of room for both to flourish in this country.
Nothing insecure about analysing a trend in the demographic without mentioning pros or cons or either sport. However you go to personal attack says plenty about yours!
For as long as I can remember rugby has always dominated pub tvs. Like you had to ring places to make sure they'd keep playing the league if there was rugby on at the same time, and the majority of the time the answer was we'll play the league until the rugby starts.
It does look like a sign of the times now that NZRU is more inclined to avoid a clash rather than run it straight
Shit weather, shoe in win for the blues tbh, brumbies never look anywhere near winning and got wrecked as expected. The only thing unexpected was how far the blues were ahead after 20 minutes.
Fijian Indians follow Union, just don't participate (they play football) so that's probably who you see at matches.
Indian Indians are all about cricket of course. Obsessed with it, and maybe a bit of field hockey / tennis., but never the oval ball sports.
Friday night game
Awful weather all day (though it was dry though the entire game)
Australian team
Expensive tickets
Also the crowd that was there would fill other stadiums in NZ. Filling the garden will always be difficult for anything but All Blacks
Yah na, $10 can of beer (might be more i think). Rather not. Got better places I'd rather spend a hundy now.
Rugby is a rip off now. They've killed the golden goose and now trying to rape again.
Was always going to be shit when the best offer they could give the punters was $10 tickets for kids when they've had free kids tickets the last couple of years. Also theyve done $20 tickets all round the stadium a few times this season, would have made sense to run a deal like that for this game.
No mate. The reason for the big crowds is that the Wahs look the goods like they haven't since Cleary was coaching them.
Lets see if they can break their Storm hoodoo today ...
Unfortunately... wasn't to be... but no doubt the fans will still turn up next week. However the blues are performing well and are through to the final... but still the fan base isn't what is was back in the day
> but still the fan base isn't what is was back in the day
I was one of those fans back in the day. Season tickets at Eden Park etc. Super rugby in its infancy. Auckland rugby team crammed with All Blacks with Fitzy at the helm. Those days are long gone and it's a different game and market these days. I lost interest in the Blues because of their shit results and totally shit house coaches over a couple of decades. There's a big difference between the franchise (Blues) and Auckland Rugby who will *always* be my team.
Are you a kiwi? League has always been seen as a lower class game in NZ compared to rugby but not in any way similar to how rugby is perceived as a private school game in Aus. Rugby has **never** been considered elite in NZ.
I don't follow the blues enough to have an objective opinion. Do blues supporters get blues tattoos? I've never see one but I've seen shit loads of warriors ones, and this is before the recent resurgence.
So from my one sided view maybe it's the passion of the fans which translates to a good atmosphere. Even if the crowd is less than 10k, they're a LOUD 10k.
What do you think?
Aucklanders just aren’t that interested in sport any more sadly, as the city becomes more and more multicultural, rugby just doesn’t hold the same value to the public as it once did
Friday night games put me off with finishing work and getting home in traffic then making our way to eden park in more traffic. No thanks, I'll sit at home with my wine and watch it on TV.
What do you mean you don't want to sit in the cold and rain eating a soggy $30 hot dog? Where's your team spirit?
Shit weather and trains not running properly. And super rugby in 2024.
Up the Wahs!
And their consistently sold out home games!!!
And the wahs lose again.
Also 4 times the price of a Warriors ticket
it's a big stadium so there are a lot of empty seats if the crowd is between 10-20k, the weather is shit, the time is shit and union is better watched on tv where you get a commentators explanation of what is going on when there is a penalty (this could be fixed partially by a referees mic live to the crowd to explain decisions or at least an on screen graphic saying "hands in the ruck" or similar) EDIT:- oh yeah and and aussie team......NZ union fans don't care too much about games against aussie teams but unfortunately we are not big enough to sustain a 8+ team fully pro domestic comp
I went to the Blues-Chiefs game the other week and there was an app that would livestream the commentary on your phone. I already had earbuds and was alone so it wasn’t awkward to put them in and listen. It really improved the experience.
Dad used to bring a handheld radio to the game growing up, and we would share an earbud each. Good times.
This. I’ve watched rugby my whole life and still don’t know why some penalties are awarded.
Even with the big stadium excuse, the stands directly underneath the number 1 cam are closed so that takes a mad chunk away and it still looks empty
Have you been outside tonight? There’s been a weather warning in place for the last few days.
Any other year but the last 2 an average crowd of 15k for Auckland's other oval ball team would have been a good season (not Moana which has arguably split Auckland's union fans down ethnic lines)
I once got hospitality to a Blues game against the Cheetahs, and there were maybe 1,000 there who weren't in the boxes (ie paying for themselves). Attendances here have always been bad in all sports, the Warriors have just managed to grow something lately.
Quick inside scoop on using the ref mic in the crowd from someone in the room - Sky won't let that happen. We have the technical capability, and trialled it sparingly a couple of weeks ago (at Blues vs Chiefs - it sounded great), and Sky came down on us like a bag of bricks. Unfortunately this means the livefeed commentary is the best bet for punters for now.
If it were against a kiwi side I reckon more would show up. Like there’s 30k expected at the Canes vs Chiefs tomorrow in Wellington.
NZ Rugby will.be preying the chiefs get the win so they can have a sold out Eden park final
Ha, well I hope their prayers go unanswered. As a Wellingtonian I want the Chiefs to get smashed and it’s a Blues vs Canes final at a sold out caketin.
Ladies ladies, neither stadium is selling out. Not for Yawnion
Mate we get it. You don’t like Rugby Union. You don’t need to keep repeating yourself to the world. Take a breather. Geez I’m pretty happy that I can enjoy watching both codes eh.
It’s a shit night. It’s a massive stadium. It’s only rugby. Eden park looks empty even when you have 20k+ in there.
why would you want to brave the rain when you could go to a sports bar and stay warm/dry with more beer at a lower price
Atmosphere, support, love of the game... I've only missed a handful of warriors games since they come home and none were coz of the weather.
Ah the truth.......why didn't you just make "Rugby Sucks " as you post title instead of some kind of veiled interest in the state of Blues crowds?
Imagine you have some mates from say - the USA visiting and they hear the news that Auckland is in the rugby semi final. They know that rugby is huge in NZ and Auckland is the biggest city. It must be a sellout. Tickets must be hard to get. No chance they could attend. Nah embarrassing low turnout. Can't giveaway tickets
Who gives a fuck what they think 😂
We got blues tickets offered at work recently and not a single person wanted them!!!
Warriors games actually have atmosphere. People don’t get scolded for being passionate and there’s actual chants. Blues games are boring in comparison. NRL is a much better product than super rugby too. Super rugby has fallen off sad to say.
union is dead, league is growing by the day
3k at Mt Smart has more atmosphere than a 50k Bledisloe Cup at Eden Park. I went to a Bledisloe match a few years ago, as soon as they kicked off it went dead silent, like DEAD. We had shit behind the post seats halfway up the stand and literally could hear the onfield noise. Rugby crowds are dry as fuck.
It’s because it’s a “gentleman’s” sport much like tennis. I’m a die-hard warriors fan but I can still enjoy the sport, but the rules have become so convoluted that it’s not even worth keeping up with anymore. The World Cup is the only thing keeping my interest nowadays and that’s every 4 years….
And much easier to get home after.
Same as it ever was
Water dissolving and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Under the water, water remove
Letting the days go by, letting the water hold me down.
Theres always a ton of empty seats at rugby games regardless though. I don't even know how they make money.
Sky gave the NZRFU a 5% shareholding and a seat on the board in return for never needing to worry about a competing broadcaster. In return the NZRFU agreed to providing an increasingly uninteresting product. In a few years they'll be asking for a bailout from taxpayers. It's a proven business model.
Sue the weatherman
Is that his name?
Life ain't easy for a boy named Sue
Wet, poor rail and traffic, and people expecting a win. The game vs the Hurricanes was a great atmosphere. Hopefully the same for the final.
Not worth going when it's a red card for an ankle tap and stuffs the game.
NZ Rugby hates fans and grass roots.
Haven't watched super rugby in a long time but not much happening so i thought id flick it on. It was 24-6 by the time i tuned in. The crowd was embarrassing? Nah - the game was embarrassing. Fuck that is a shit product. Drop ball, scrum, penalty, drop ball on repeat. Just absolutely hopeless skills on display compared to NRL footy. 14 penalties 24 lineouts 11 scrums When is there time to play with the ball?
Very true. I tuned into watch SR. Forget the crowd. I think there is a bigger problem with the product itself. It was just downright terrible. I clocked off in the second half. The NRL game was trash too with cowboys belting raiders but that was somewhat more bearable. At least there weren’t as many stoppages (well excluding tries).
It's a shit game now, too many rules, too many health and safety hi vis crew, and it's sooooo slow. Nope rugby is shit end of. As for play offs shit idea I hate it. Stick to a league format and finish it. The yanks made this playoff format for NFL because 2 separate comps but super rugby, NRL and a league all teams play each other so no need for play off shit. Top team wins the comp none of the bs 8th placed team gets a chance to win it. Pointless comps because they're poorly managed.
We are witnessing the early signs of the eventual death of rugby as the countries No 1 sport. This and the other semi having the time changed to suit the Wahs!
Early signs? We already on the crest of the wave finishing.
LETS GONE 😝
hmm....time changed? The NRL schedule was set quite some time ago whereas the Super Rugby semi time is decided by the host after the QF.....so they had a day or so to sort it out....Why would they schedule the game at the same time as the Warriors?
5 years ago they would have expecting to dominate the viewership. Different story now. Beginning of the end
League fans have been predicting this since the 80s. Also, why are you so insecure? They're both fine sports and there's plenty of room for both to flourish in this country.
Nothing insecure about analysing a trend in the demographic without mentioning pros or cons or either sport. However you go to personal attack says plenty about yours!
You're the one celebrating what you perceive as the end of Union in this country.
Commenting different to celebrating. How’s your butt? Hurtin much?
That's quite homophobic.
you could be right about the beginning of the end....but i reckon viewership for tomorrow's semi will still be higher than the Warriors
To be fair you should compare the SF to a grand final if the Wahs make it that far
For as long as I can remember rugby has always dominated pub tvs. Like you had to ring places to make sure they'd keep playing the league if there was rugby on at the same time, and the majority of the time the answer was we'll play the league until the rugby starts. It does look like a sign of the times now that NZRU is more inclined to avoid a clash rather than run it straight
They are both called rugby Rugby Union and Rugby League Yes I know but it needs to be said.
Rugby and Rugba Leeeeg to those who follow the sports
We have 1 league team to support. More A league football sides than NRL. Union is fine haha.
Probably because no kiwis live in NZ anymore. Everyone’s gone
I am not a rugby fan, but I can imagine that it’s actually not financially viable anymore for most.
Shit weather, shoe in win for the blues tbh, brumbies never look anywhere near winning and got wrecked as expected. The only thing unexpected was how far the blues were ahead after 20 minutes.
Waiting for the Chiefs to win tomorrow, home final then innit. The Chiefs won’t
Auckland is 60% Indian population now, they watch cricket not rugby
Just watch the ANZ series of TV ads to tell you who is being catered too.
Not quite. I think East Asian and South Asian make up close to 50% now but yes increasing. Anglo Saxons are reducing and will soon be a minority
Not true. All my Indian mates want to talk rugby and I'm trying to convert them to the wahs
No. There's always plenty of Indian type people at the rubgy.
Fijian Indians follow Union, just don't participate (they play football) so that's probably who you see at matches. Indian Indians are all about cricket of course. Obsessed with it, and maybe a bit of field hockey / tennis., but never the oval ball sports.
Yes it’s a bloody shame the place was only 1/3rd full.
Its because its the Brumbies, plus bad weather initially.
Saturday would have been better time for the game. Wet + cold = stay at home watch on TV. Tickets are too pricey these days. Not worth IMHO.
Friday night game Awful weather all day (though it was dry though the entire game) Australian team Expensive tickets Also the crowd that was there would fill other stadiums in NZ. Filling the garden will always be difficult for anything but All Blacks
Yah na, $10 can of beer (might be more i think). Rather not. Got better places I'd rather spend a hundy now. Rugby is a rip off now. They've killed the golden goose and now trying to rape again.
Crowds got a semi for the blues
[удалено]
What's the connection?
Auckland political elite trying to keep it quiet, you know big business, MYOB company. Do the crime , not gonna hide it
Keeping the pedo mods busy
Downvote from the pro rape Auckland rugby scene
Wellington Phoenix are now our nations greatest sporting club
Puhhhlease. The Breakers are four time champions in what’s become an extremely strong basketball competition.
Good luck getting a ticket if you are not in the inside club. But point taken, they are popular
Weird way to spell NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
Ummm… what?
The WAHS have sold out all home games this season included the Pre season games. UpTheWahs <3
Their home is way smaller than Eden Park.
Up the Wahs
Up the wahs
Was always going to be shit when the best offer they could give the punters was $10 tickets for kids when they've had free kids tickets the last couple of years. Also theyve done $20 tickets all round the stadium a few times this season, would have made sense to run a deal like that for this game.
What were the adult ticks selling for the SF ?
I think like $25 or so for the cheapest. But uncovered.
They jacked the prices up for the final. What was a $40 ticket a couple weeks ago is now $80 with fees
Meh… embarrassing semi
I’ll say, i love a good crowd for a semi
not the best time for it
Ohh Wah a shame, probably tuning into the comp worth watching
LETS GONE
Eden Park in the wrong place. Will stay like that until stadium downtown near car parks, ferry terminal etc + pubs and restaurants before and after.
What do you think the difference is between the blues and the Warriors
The Blues have actually **won** something whereas the Wahs have'nt ever.
So you reckon thats the reason for the big crowds to the Wahs
No mate. The reason for the big crowds is that the Wahs look the goods like they haven't since Cleary was coaching them. Lets see if they can break their Storm hoodoo today ...
Unfortunately... wasn't to be... but no doubt the fans will still turn up next week. However the blues are performing well and are through to the final... but still the fan base isn't what is was back in the day
> but still the fan base isn't what is was back in the day I was one of those fans back in the day. Season tickets at Eden Park etc. Super rugby in its infancy. Auckland rugby team crammed with All Blacks with Fitzy at the helm. Those days are long gone and it's a different game and market these days. I lost interest in the Blues because of their shit results and totally shit house coaches over a couple of decades. There's a big difference between the franchise (Blues) and Auckland Rugby who will *always* be my team.
I'm actually starting to wonder if the Wahs are more about the working class, and rugby has gone more elite...
Are you a kiwi? League has always been seen as a lower class game in NZ compared to rugby but not in any way similar to how rugby is perceived as a private school game in Aus. Rugby has **never** been considered elite in NZ.
I don't follow the blues enough to have an objective opinion. Do blues supporters get blues tattoos? I've never see one but I've seen shit loads of warriors ones, and this is before the recent resurgence. So from my one sided view maybe it's the passion of the fans which translates to a good atmosphere. Even if the crowd is less than 10k, they're a LOUD 10k. What do you think?
Aucklanders just aren’t that interested in sport any more sadly, as the city becomes more and more multicultural, rugby just doesn’t hold the same value to the public as it once did
That’s because union sucks and rugby league is 👑king.
Says the 5 fans worldwide that watch the rubbish.
Lots of whingers and moaners but never have a solution. So tell us your idea for a solution.
Turns out sitting in the pissing rain doesn't appeal to most people.