Quote: gutterfax "8,000 in a RLWC year, with offers of free supporters shirts as well as double ticketing offers including an England RLWC game is loving disgraceful. I could rant on about the lack of anything like a coherent campaign from the RFL, but in reality, it's the APATHY of RL fans that is most worrying.
Given that there will only be a couple of thousand "visitors" to the UK for the RLWC, how does anyone expect to fill the Millenium or Wembley stadiums?
12 quid for a ticket to this game with a free supporters shirt and yet they don't even get 8k? With Englands games being shown on FTA, I really am starting to fear for the games reputation....because half empty stadiums will simply reinforce the standing of the game as a northern pastime.
As for the Exiles game itself......what a waste of time. More than half the England team were missing and the exiles looked thoroughly uninterested.......stupid concept that needs to be binned.'"
This game has proved that people are not stupid, and they will not just turn out to watch anything. It was cringeworthy to hear an interview with McNamara on 5live on Friday evening, desperately spouting various stats about the number of tackles compared to a normal super league game etc...
Given that the goal is for England to have a run out as a team, rather than as a spectacle for the fans then it can probably be judged a success this time around. Whether it has done more harm than good in terms of profile of the game to potential sponsors can be argued.
Personally - I didn't go to this game, primarily because I paid £25 to go to the game at Saints last year, only for the RFL to do a GroupOn 2for1 deal in the run up to the game, that let people get in for about £7. I already have tickets for 4 or 5 world cup games, and i will go to many others.
