ERC 1/4s

[Heathen]

Some tasty match ups!

Quarter-Finals

Fri 07 Apr 2023

Leinster Rugby v Leicester Tigers

Sat 08 Apr 2023

Stade Toulousain v Cell C Sharks

Exeter Chiefs v DHL Stormers

Sun 09 Apr 2023

Stade Rochelais v Saracens

[Trevs Big Tackle]

Interesting to see English clubs providing 3 of the 8 teams given the ongoing financial mess in the Premiership, the generally boring gameplans of English teams, and the shocking state of the national team.

[BlackAndGoldSunglasses]

Worthy of note that the three English games had the lowest attendances of all the games in the round.

Welford Road looked pretty sparsely populated on the TV coverage.

[Neils]

Nicked from RiL -


LAST 16 ATTENDANCES

1) Leinster 🔵 51,700 ☘️
2) Stormers ⛈ 33,501 🇿🇦
3) Toulouse 🚽🚽 32,000 🇫🇷
4) Sharks 🦈 27,987 🇿🇦
5) La Rochelle ⛵️ 16,000 🇫🇷
6) Leicester 🐯 12,844 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
7) Exeter ❌ 10,582 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Saracens 💫 9,350 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Certainly the PRL figures inc STH whether they attended or not. Strangely I heard today that relatives could not take a junior rugby team to Exeter because 75% of them had covid - this included 6 STH and 32 others (or maybe the 6 were inc in the 32 not sure).

[Neils]

Of the teams through I would like the winners to be -

1) Don't care but Leinster the lesser evil
2) Toulouse - for Jack (and their style of rugby)
3) Exeter - only because I don't agree with Saffers in it.
4) La Rochelle - because they are THE Black and Gold (Yellow) and well who would want the other lot!

We are going to Dublin next month so I want some decent rugby (and supporters). Spent too many finals supporting ABS!

[BlackAndGoldSunglasses]

Nicked from RiL -


LAST 16 ATTENDANCES

1) Leinster 🔵 51,700 ☘️
2) Stormers ⛈ 33,501 🇿🇦
3) Toulouse 🚽🚽 32,000 🇫🇷
4) Sharks 🦈 27,987 🇿🇦
5) La Rochelle ⛵️ 16,000 🇫🇷
6) Leicester 🐯 12,844 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
7) Exeter ❌ 10,582 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Saracens 💫 9,350 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Certainly the PRL figures inc STH whether they attended or not. Strangely I heard today that relatives could not take a junior rugby team to Exeter because 75% of them had covid - this included 6 STH and 32 others (or maybe the 6 were inc in the 32 not sure).

No idea how the formatting on this will work, but I'll try...

Who                   Where                              Att          Capacity     %   
La Rochelle   Stade Marcel Deflandre   16000   16000   100%   
Leinster           Aviva Stadium                   51700   51711   100%   
Toulouse           Le Stadium Toulouse     32000   33150   97%   Not at the usual Stade Ernest-Wallon due to capacity restrictions
Saracens           StoneX Stadium              9350   10500   89%   
Exeter           Sandy Park                   10582   15600   68%   
Stormers           DHL Stadium                   33501   55000   61%   
Sharks           Hollywoodbets Kings Park   27987   54000   52%   
Leicester           Welford Road                   12844   25849   50%   

So by "ground-fullness" rather than just attendance, Sarries and Chiefs fared better than both SA sides. Reinforces how empty Welford Road looked, though. 

By contrast, Toulouse moved their game from the Stade Ernest-Wallon because it doesn't hold enough.

[Neils]

Nicked from RiL -


LAST 16 ATTENDANCES

1) Leinster 🔵 51,700 ☘️
2) Stormers ⛈ 33,501 🇿🇦
3) Toulouse 🚽🚽 32,000 🇫🇷
4) Sharks 🦈 27,987 🇿🇦
5) La Rochelle ⛵️ 16,000 🇫🇷
6) Leicester 🐯 12,844 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
7) Exeter ❌ 10,582 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Saracens 💫 9,350 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Certainly the PRL figures inc STH whether they attended or not. Strangely I heard today that relatives could not take a junior rugby team to Exeter because 75% of them had covid - this included 6 STH and 32 others (or maybe the 6 were inc in the 32 not sure).

No idea how the formatting on this will work, but I'll try...

Who                   Where                              Att          Capacity     %   
La Rochelle   Stade Marcel Deflandre   16000   16000   100%   
Leinster           Aviva Stadium                   51700   51711   100%   
Toulouse           Le Stadium Toulouse     32000   33150   97%   Not at the usual Stade Ernest-Wallon due to capacity restrictions
Saracens           StoneX Stadium              9350   10500   89%   
Exeter           Sandy Park                   10582   15600   68%   
Stormers           DHL Stadium                   33501   55000   61%   
Sharks           Hollywoodbets Kings Park   27987   54000   52%   
Leicester           Welford Road                   12844   25849   50%   

So by "ground-fullness" rather than just attendance, Sarries and Chiefs fared better than both SA sides. Reinforces how empty Welford Road looked, though. 

By contrast, Toulouse moved their game from the Stade Ernest-Wallon because it doesn't hold enough.

Good try and readable

THere were chunks of Barnet empty which points to STHs counting whether there or not.

[baldpaul101]

Like most stats, I don't think these are as obvious as it appears.

the Saffer teams have, I think, 3 separate competitions they are playing in. From a fans perspective their sides playing some team from Europe they have never heard of is unlikely to galvanise support. There was also talk on the TV for the quinns game that they had been giving tickets away to build up support. I also wonder how often they actually sell out those stadiums?

For Toulouse & La Rochelle they are both very sell supported within their own towns so you wold expect good numbers.
Sarries we know have low supporter numbers so no real surprise there
I am a bit surprised at the Chiefs & Tigers numbers though. Given Chiefs form maybe the fans weren't expecting a win!

On a side topic, I was really surprised at the Prem cup final a few weeks ago. At Irish, with Irish playing and yet it wasn't sold out?

[Rossm]

Cost of living bites?

[Sliminator]

I'd be surprised if STH's would be included, considering the Knockout rounds wouldn't be included in the season ticket.

[Neils]

I'd be surprised if STH's would be included, considering the Knockout rounds wouldn't be included in the season ticket.

Now that is true.

[MarleyWasp]

If the Sharks get a home semi final it'll be played at Saracens. Someone at EPCR has a sense of humour... (Quins would host a Stormers home semi-final).

[BlackAndGoldSunglasses]

If the Sharks get a home semi final it'll be played at Saracens. Someone at EPCR has a sense of humour... (Quins would host a Stormers home semi-final).

Is there scope to move it to a larger stadium? Limiting the capacity to 10K at the soulless StoneX sounds like a sense of warped humour!

[MarleyWasp]

Don't think so: https://www.epcrugby.com/2023/04/06/heineken-champions-cup-semi-final-venues-3/

[Chunky24]

Cost of living bites?

I've been in Devon this week, heading back today, had a look on Chiefs website to see if it was worth trying to go as seeing Stormers someting different and they are doing u16s for a quid so my family of 2 adults 2 u16s could go for ?52 (seated and not restricted view), unfortunately Easter weekend hotel prices scuppered my plan!