Spectators lose interest in Super Rugby

[Makos]

You have the cow bells though, which I think adds to the atmosphere.

That's only in Hamilton/Chiefs/Waikato.

Go to an Blues Eden Park match and you can hear a pin drop.

To be fair to the Crusaders their supporters are great, but after the Earthquake the new stadium is a bit crap.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

I was actually at that match.

To sum it up, NZ crowds are quite bad at creating their own noise and atmosphere so we hammer horrible catchy over exposed tunes for a few split seconds. The Highlanders support is actually quite good though with 'The Zoo', but yeah, no chanting or singing really.

It's crap all that music..

Also I was letting the ref know what I thought of his performance in areas and a bloke turned around a told me I was giving him an ear ache...

REALLY? Mate, we're at a sports match and it's a local derby, make some bloody noise you old geezer.


Also this immature booing when someone is taking a place kick...

Lucky you! Hell of a game of rugby in the end, although I've really no idea what the Highlanders coaches must have been thinking when the players let that lead slip.

But anyway, interesting points you make. I just think though you have to have faith as organisers that the crowd will fill the space you give them. Make them bloody entertain themselves! That tends to be how people have the most fun. If you fill the stadium with music to generate atmosphere, people will actually do less themselves to contribute to the atmosphere in relation to the game. Singing songs isn't much replacement for getting pumped up due to the action, it's a shame they can't see that. I just think you have to have confidence in your product. Rugby mad people will get excited if the rugby is good, and super rugby is good - however they can probably see a lot of things I can't such as tickets sold, turnover etc..

Agree about the booing, not sure though how widespread it is? In six nations international it tends to not be the case from the kickoff, but tends to drift in later on when the crowd tenses up. Although when it's England away from home it happens very often.

 

[Makos]

Lucky you! Hell of a game of rugby in the end, although I've really no idea what the Highlanders coaches must have been thinking when the players let that lead slip.

Yes, not happy! Tony Brown has got the team kicking away too much ball. Sopoaga lost us the game. Stupid bombs and a really ridiculous drop goal? I like Lima a lot, but doing that at such a critical part of the game is very bad decision making.


That's right, I agree, leave the crowd to their own devices, fortunately for the Highlanders they have the aid of the students in the area, who fill the stadium with positive support. But it's a problem in New Zealand in all sports, getting the crowds along in the first place.

The working class in NZ is not attached to sports like in Europe and the middle and upper class when they can actually be bothered going are hardly energetic or noisy. These are the main contributing factors for low turn outs and lack of crowd enthusiasm.. it's across all sports in NZ.

Then you got the 7's. People stopped going when they stopped selling alcohol..

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Why did they stop selling alcohol? Crowd behaviour?

I wonder whether too much success is a problem for how passionate fans can be in New Zealand? Maybe I'm overanalysing but you guys don't get the same highs and lows at international level which are the reality for most teams and which are all part of the enjoyment. The rivalries between England Wales and Ireland are so intense because especially at the moment, anyone can beat anyone on the correct day. The only thing people can be sure of on the day is pride in their country. As an outsider looking in I've never been convinced the Southern Hemisphere rivalries match up to that...maybe I'm wrong.

Also to play devils advocate, for those like us I guess who are rugby mad, we don't need the music and stuff. But perhaps it's. a good thing for rugby not to just be white and male and aged X - I guess if music brings plus ones and kids to the game and gives them a platform for getting into it down the line then that's probably a good thing. But yeah, right now it just feels inauthentic. and annoying.

 

[Makos]

It's because some of the crowd behavior got out off hand, nothing too serious, but just obnoxious behavior and immaturity, the usual stuff associated with alcohol.

highs and lows at international level

All Blacks fans have suffered highs and lows just as much as anyone, if not more, for 20 years we embarrassed ourselves at every world cup apart from the 95 one.


The crowds do come out in great numbers for the International fixtures, just not the domestic stuff, they're better in the Super Rugby, but fairly low in the Mitre 10 Mega Cup.

Population density might be an issue, but a lot of people just can't be bothered at domestic level. You will see a different story at the play-offs though.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

That's still only once every 4 years! England, Ireland, Wales engage in an annual festival of humiliation and take it in turns to bend over... . Of course you have lows, but let's be honest and I don't mean as a criticism, a fan base who go to watch New Zealand every international game in the expectation, even the knowledge, that their side will win, is a spoilt one. And I imagine that does change the psychology. Losing is a reality in competitive sport. Does victory taste as good when you beat Scotland for the 10th consecutive time? I know it doesn't for England, and I know victory against Wales is all the sweeter for whats happened the last few years.

 

[Makos]

I can tell you one thing.

It never gets old beating the Aussies! Especially Cheika! :lol:

I love every All Black match and any team I follow, so the satisfaction is always there. But that's me personally. I did hear of our fans getting spoiled and complaining that the AB's kept winning.. Richie McCaw actually came out and said Kiwi fans are spoiled and always complain and are never happy last year.

https://nz.sports.yahoo.com/rugby/a...close-mccaw-annoyed-by-all-blacks-fans/#page1

So I think you're right about over exposure to winning...

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Cheetahs, Kings and Rebels wont make the cut. Just read so in rugbylad. I find it mesmerizing they decided to cut a team that just won their local tournament and appear to be improving.

 

[die_mole]

It's because some of the crowd behavior got out off hand, nothing too serious, but just obnoxious behavior and immaturity, the usual stuff associated with alcohol.



All Blacks fans have suffered highs and lows just as much as anyone, if not more, for 20 years we embarrassed ourselves at every world cup apart from the 95 one.


The crowds do come out in great numbers for the International fixtures, just not the domestic stuff, they're better in the Super Rugby, but fairly low in the Mitre 10 Mega Cup.

Population density might be an issue, but a lot of people just can't be bothered at domestic level. You will see a different story at the play-offs though.

so you're saying new zealand is a #badsportstown?

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this all seems very reactionary to cut three teams

success isn't going to happen overnight and expansion teams should be expected to suck since they are starting off with players who weren't good enough to be in the league in the first place, over time they should be able get better talent in

cheetahs may not have superstars but they do have exciting players that make for a good game of rugby

between the cutting of these teams and paris teams merging this sport is leaving a bad taste in my mouth

 

[Makos]

so you're saying new zealand is a #badsportstown?

As far as sports participation & sports involvement per-capita it's very good. But general spectator numbers are very sparse domestically. In Europe, supporting your club & team is just a way of life. Out here it's a part of life, there's passion and pride, but it's very different.

There's definitely a bandwagon thing going on here. If a team is winning, it will get the crowds. I think back to the All Whites, when they qualified for the 2010 world cup. Prior to the qualifiers they would get a couple of hundred spectators a match, but when they looked like qualifying every man and their dog showed up. Now since they're back to not looking like making the world cup, they get very little support.