NH club rugby
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Attendance record broken as URC sets all-time high for a single round
Another new record has been set by the Vodacom United Rugby Championship on Saturday with the league setting an all-time high for single-round attendance.
The 19 703 fans who attended the final game of Round 8 in Durban, where the Hollywoodbets Sharks took on the Emirates Lions, pushed the total for the round to over 135 747 which surpasses the figure of 123 207 set in R11 last season.
This comes off the back of a record 1.6 million total attendance for the 2022/23 Vodacom URC season which also saw the highest-ever crowd for the league’s Grand Final (56 334) while an all-time high of 37.4 million watched across the campaign.
The first seven games of R8 were played across the Christmas weekend with Vodacom URC champions Munster selling out 25 600 against Leinster, last season’s beaten finalists, DHL Stormers, attracted 39 925 for their derby with the Vodacom Bulls, Glasgow Warriors sold out their first leg 1872 Cup clash with Edinburgh while Zebre Parma recorded their largest crowd for a league game in Parma since 2014.
In addition, Cardiff Rugby put up the sold-out signs for the game against Dragons, a close to capacity crowd took in Connacht’s visit to Ulster and Scarlets had a season-high number of fans in to add their voices to the West Wales derby against Ospreys.
Commenting on this latest milestone, Martin Anayi, United Rugby Championship CEO, said: “This is a major positive not only for the Vodacom URC but for the sport of rugby. Our clubs are innovating and collaborating to grow their crowds and attract new fans to rugby and this fantastic achievement speaks to their work throughout the season.
“Fans are turning up more often across Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa and Wales because of the engaging match-day experiences at our clubs and the competitiveness and jeopardy of the Vodacom URC. I would also give great credit to our broadcast partners who understand how vital kick-off times are in allowing our teams to maximise their attendances and create memorable occasions.
“We’ve seen great drama across the festive season and it’s very encouraging to see the interest in Vodacom URC continue to grow in what is shaping up to be our best season yet.”
All eyes will now be on the final fixture of R9 which will be played on 27 January where the Vodacom Bulls host the Emirates Lions at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
The standing total for that round is 119 414 and a crowd beyond 16 334 would break this latest attendance record yet again.
R8 – Attendance by fixture
Ulster v Connacht: 15 365
Glasgow Warriors v Edinburgh: 7 172
Zebre Parma v Benetton: 4 701
DHL Stormers v Vodacom Bulls: 39 925
Cardiff Rugby v Dragons RFC: 12 000
Scarlets v Ospreys: 11 282
Munster v Leinster: 25 600
Hollywoodbets Sharks v Emirates Lions: 19 703
Total attendance: 135 747
Previous best single round attendances:
123,307 – Round 11 of the 2022/23 season
121,117 – Round 21 of the 2017/18 season
117,448 – Round 10 of the 2022/23 season
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Unsure if already posted...
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Warren Gatland throws weight behind calls for Anglo-Welsh League
With both the Gallagher Premiership and the four Welsh regions experiencing challenges – idea has gathered momentum in recent weeks
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Champions Cup last-16 draw
Toulouse (1) v Racing 92 (16)
Leinster (2) v Leicester Tigers (15)
Northampton Saints (3) v Munster (14)
Bordeaux-Begles (4) v Saracens (13)
Harlequins (5) v Glasgow Warriors (12)
Bulls (6) v Lyon (11)
Stormers (7) v La Rochelle (10)
Exeter Chiefs (8) v Bath (9)
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@Bovidae said in NH club rugby:
From the little I watched yesterday the refs are dishing out the yellow and red cards. Teams are often down to 12 players (when the officials can count correctly).
That's what the viewing public want to see. Rugby league.
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@Daffy-Jaffy said in NH club rugby:
Champions Cup last-16 draw
Toulouse (1) v Racing 92 (16)
Leinster (2) v Leicester Tigers (15)
Northampton Saints (3) v Munster (14)
Bordeaux-Begles (4) v Saracens (13)
Harlequins (5) v Glasgow Warriors (12)
Bulls (6) v Lyon (11)
Stormers (7) v La Rochelle (10)
Exeter Chiefs (8) v Bath (9)
Looking forward to a few of those
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@Daffy-Jaffy said in NH club rugby:
Champions Cup last-16 draw
Toulouse (1) v Racing 92 (16)
Leinster (2) v Leicester Tigers (15)
Northampton Saints (3) v Munster (14)
Bordeaux-Begles (4) v Saracens (13)
Harlequins (5) v Glasgow Warriors (12)
Bulls (6) v Lyon (11)
Stormers (7) v La Rochelle (10)
Exeter Chiefs (8) v Bath (9)
Two repeats from Pool play
Leinster v Leicester
Northampton v Munster -
Not sure if the confirmation has been posted:
Owen Farrell to join French club Racing 92
Farrell captained England to the semifinals of the 2023 Rugby World Cup and will leave the Gallagher Premiership and Saracens at the end of the season.
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Farrell had already announced his decision not to make himself available in this Six Nations championship, citing his wish to prioritise his and his family’s
mentalfinancial wellbeing.But I kid, good on him. Saracens were going to make him a marquee player, according to rumour, meaning Itoje would miss out - as they are going from 2 down to 1 outside the salary cap. It would unlikely be a huge jump on top of what he'd get in England (not like NZ to France) He's getting on, and slow turtle sexcockwomble shows what happens to 10s who stay too long. Make some money, have some fun, a little less glare than being booed by fans.
He still a dirty tackler that has gotten away with all sorts, but can't begrudge him the change
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DuPont back to being awesome, France will miss him 6N
How Antoine Dupont dominated the Investec Champions Cup pool stage
The Investec Champions Cup heads into the knockouts and Planet Rugby takes a closer look at the top individual performers.
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Round Nine – Attendance by fixture
Benetton v Zebre Parma: 5,000
Edinburgh v Glasgow Warriors: 37,904
Stormers v Sharks: 37,246
Ospreys v Cardiff: 8,159
Connacht v Munster: 7,240
Dragons RFC v Scarlets: 7,617
Bulls v Lions: 26,632Total attendance: 146,046
Previous best single round attendances:
135,747 – Round Eight of the 2023/24 season
123,307 – Round 11 of the 2022/23 season
121,117 – Round 21 of the 2017/18 season
117,448 – Round 10 of the 2022/23 season -
@OomPB said in NH club rugby:
Round Nine – Attendance by fixture
Benetton v Zebre Parma: 5,000
Edinburgh v Glasgow Warriors: 37,904
Stormers v Sharks: 37,246
Ospreys v Cardiff: 8,159
Connacht v Munster: 7,240
Dragons RFC v Scarlets: 7,617
Bulls v Lions: 26,632Total attendance: 146,046
Previous best single round attendances:
135,747 – Round Eight of the 2023/24 season
123,307 – Round 11 of the 2022/23 season
121,117 – Round 21 of the 2017/18 season
117,448 – Round 10 of the 2022/23 seasonWho says world cups don't pique interest in a sport eh!
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Saudi Arabia in talks to buy stake in Leicester, Gloucester, Northampton and Newcastle rugby clubs
Exclusive: Stadium naming rights and a rugby academy in Saudi Arabia are on the cards if a deal goes through
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