Gallagher Premiership must show missing seven million fans why rugby is not just for the Six Nations
Stephen Jones, Rugby Correspondent
Sunday September 11 2022, 12.01am, The Sunday Times
Where are the missing seven million? The search is on for the future health of one of rugby’s great competitions. They are out there somewhere, in rugby’s great beyond.
Convincing statistics have been issued that suggest there are about nine million people in England who have a significant affection for rugby, many of whom are encouraged by the profile of the international matches and their fireside appeal on a cold afternoon in November or February. But only about two million attend Gallagher Premiership matches.
At this time of economic strife — not forgetting the uncertainty surrounding the Premiership itself and the ravages of the pandemic — those seven million are needed out in the fresh air for up-close duty.
While facilities do vary, they are infinitely better than in the early days when comforts were low and the pies were frozen inside. Most grounds now offer a civilised and often inspiring experience.
Moreover the Premiership now offers rich entertainment. The sweep and the spectacle of the league has soared in the past two seasons, inspired by Harlequins, Wasps and Northampton Saints — although every team have picked up the pace and skill level. Turf technology has made the days of two feet of mud a thing of the past and provided the platform for attacking epics.
But, crucially, you also get that satisfying crunch, that excuse to revel if attacking play is less than epic, because you are supporting your own town or city team. Take Bath last season when they were anchored at the bottom but still received fanatical support from their fans.
About half of the games in the Premiership last season were won by a margin of seven points or fewer. This is a remarkable statistic given that there was no relegation. The eyeballs-out competitiveness is what keeps the Premiership at the top of the pile of world competitions.
There are millions of potential fans out there who could be persuaded to watch the entertainment on offer in the Premiership on a regular basis
The drawbacks? Sadly, if you go to a club to watch your team’s marquee players, you will find that they are only there for half the season, which is deplorable.
Who is guiding the search for the missing seven million? Premiership Rugby (PRL) has come through the grimmest of times of bungling, secrecy and a heartbreaking lack of vision, not to mention that the club owners often tended to dispose of a global vision in favour of their own local interests. A lack of dynamism and fresh marketing ideas is only just being attended to. But the situation at PRL has changed.
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Now, at last, there is some central promotion from the governing body. How depressing, then, that the Bristol Bears v Bath and Sale Sharks v Northampton games on Friday were reportedly postponed because of votes cast by clubs who were not involved. It is time for independent experts to join the club grandees.
The promotion of the tournament this season is much improved. There will be a highlights show on ITV every weekend, the type of programme that was missed early last season. There will be seven matches shown live on terrestrial TV, including the final. Also, every game that is not shown live on BT Sport, the main broadcaster, or ITV will be available on the new streaming service, PRTV Live. Matches will be transmitted, PRL says, in 139 countries.
And PRL is after more big games, as it should be — Saracens take matches to the high temple that is the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The league must bring back the double-header involving the London teams at Twickenham to kick off the season. Newcastle Falcons’ successful initiative in taking a game to St James’ Park three seasons ago should be repeated around the league, with clubs staging games at their closest mega-stadium.
It will be a slog. PRL still needs to add power and it should use its muscle to retain Test players for more games. The whole thing must reach a point at which benefactors can cover costs, at the very least. But the whole thing is still potentially lovable at every turn. To watch Leicester Tigers at home is to see all the best that the Premiership has to offer and everything it was meant to be — with the possible exception of their fans failing to understand that a penalty awarded against the home side is not always a mistake.
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The whole thing may be battered and bruised, given the worrying travails of Worcester Warriors and Wasps, but there is a core resilience — a way is always found to preserve the rugby, its impact on the community and the harmony among rival fans. The heartbeat of the whole thing is reflected beautifully in the fervency with which those who love Worcester came to their aid. Their co-owners should move on as soon as possible and leave it to new investors and the will of the people.
Premiership clubs must keep improving and uniting; no more sweeping up their own backyards. The idea that there are seven million out there who could be persuaded to watch the whole swashbuckling, convivial, confrontational, messy and lovely weekly mini-epics, with a warm pie, really should kick backsides of the professional arm of the sport, until they grasp that their fate remains in their own hands and feet. And turnstiles.
The Premiership Experience
The Rec, Bath Rugby
Glorious riverside, city centre location but enter The Rec at the moment and it might seem like you are part of a giant Meccano set. The popular side stand is a temporary uncovered structure — in midwinter they have a group of rescue St Bernards standing by. But the Bath experience still has something wondrous about it, even if the view these days is from the bottom of the table. Those near the media seats can also overhear the hourly Stuart Barnes Lecture.
Ashton Gate, Bristol Bears
My favourite, because they actually celebrate rugby here. Even the roaring ranter on the microphone keeps it in bounds so you can talk to your friend sitting next to you, and the mid-Atlantic cacophonous thunder music that other clubs play is toned down. Pies are excellent for content and temperature. Cider direct from Barrow Gurney, and Pat Lam as boss. Perfect.
Sandy Park, Exeter Chiefs
Such a shame that they have discarded their ‘Indian’ head-dress and the rest of the paraphernalia of what has always been part of the club’s benevolent image. Some members of the rugby community can feel famished after short rations at the club, but this remains the archetypal and golden example of what promotion in the Premiership can achieve.
Kingsholm, Gloucester
For some of us, the magnificent Shed stand has become a little too polite. Its occupants used to be not just the 16th man but the 17th, 18th and 19th as well. But here is another rugby city, from its centre out to the housing estates. The friendliest commissionaires in sport, and the final steps are for the team to take a title. No one who has any concept of rugby history could fail to be there for that.
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The Twickenham Stoop, Harlequins
The essential gentility of this well-appointed stadium, with enough catering outlets to avoid queues, has now been taken over by a splendidly fervent and ranting bunch who often fill the stadium to capacity. The Stoop tends to have the paying consumer at heart, and my mate Mike on the microphone can hardly be missed — though you do fear that one day, when Harlequins score, he will simply explode.
Welford Road, Leicester Tigers
The Crumbie stand now looks like a hoary old veteran standing opposite the mighty newish construction opposite, but this is a classic place to watch rugby, even though rather oddly, the car park for the Tigers now appears to be nearer Northampton than Leicester. This was the club which made pro rugby a possibility and it is still up there now it is a reality. Earplugs de rigeur for match officials.
Brentford Community Stadium, London Irish
The best new arena in the Premiership, which can be found somewhere underneath the skyscrapers marking about 40 new hotels towards the end of the elevated section of the M4. Keep looking, it is worth it. The distressing drone of The Fields of Athenry – often, you would love to hear the almost-as-dreadful Sweet Caroline instead – should not put anyone off. Leave three hours early to negotiate the Kew traffic.
Kingston Park, Newcastle Falcons
It is no excuse that they are right up in the North East. This is one of the most fervent, passionate and possibly angry clubs in the division, with so few of the natural advantages but every intention of squeezing out what they can from every situation. So much depends on a run of results, but the stadium is excellent, the catering decent. For a fee, the Newcastle United great Alan Shearer can make a personal appearance and promise not to say anything.
Franklin Gardens, Northampton Saints
The first club to really get to grips with professional rugby, with their annual profits — yes, profits. Nothing missing in the stadium or surrounding complex, and you will enjoy meeting the legend David (Piggy) Powell, the grandest of grand old props who will brief you on all matters to do with the scrum and the general meaning of life itself. Seats next to him carry a premium fee. Also the train station is nearby, so you can go along and watch the RMT picket line and then catch the bus home.
AJ Bell Stadium, Sale Sharks
The eternal, heroic battle against the massed forces of Manchester football and Old Trafford cricket goes on. They do feel slightly out on a limb in Salford, though the stadium is neat and tidy and modern and you sense that Sale are getting there, on their long and mighty march. No pouting, preening, late-30s footballers from Portugal among the starters at the AJ Bell, just ever-ready grafters.
StoneX Stadium, Saracens
The predicted demise has actually become a hurtling revival. The new stand gives them one of the best arenas, their pies have always been a cut above and indeed, in the realms of coffee, beers and pies and other essential elements, you can now purchase from companies run by former players. The infrastructure is now almost all there, and the longest bar in the game could command your attention.
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Coventry Building Society Arena, Wasps
In the first years of their move to Coventry they played before crowds of up to 33,000. People used to say that some of those were in on free tickets but they never explained what exactly was wrong about that. Do you want to change grounds and not market the new one? They have been hammered by the recession and by their rather bewildering financial set-up but chiefly by an horrendous run of injuries. Yet the stadium is arguably the best in the league, everyone working there appears to be friendly and passionate. Now they need to start winning games and whirring the turnstiles.
Sixways, Worcester Warriors
If you don’t think that the Warriors are worth saving, you have never been to Sixways. There is ample car parking providing that the present owners haven’t flogged the spaces. They also have a gleaming stadium and a remarkably inventive crowd song (“Come in you Warriors, come on you Warriors”).
Topic: Stephen Jones in the Sunday Times (Read 954 times)
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