Lol at the clutching at straws for every llittle thing that might give wigan a meaingless advantage. None of the things you've suggested will make any difference to who turns up on the day and wins.

Oh NO, not the usual changing rooms? I bet the bookies lowered the odds on a wigan win when they heard that, however will leeds cope?

If you're looking for ''advantage wigan'' things look no further than the injury to peacock. That will have a bigger imoact than different changing rooms ever would.

Took me a bit to get that one but

Rugby is more important than cricket.

Is this serious? I'm gutted, I was hoping that a massive crowd at Headingley on the BBC would be a cracking advert for the sport. Could they not just say sod it, we'll charge half price, free for kids and ask Leeds Utd if they can play at Elland Road?

Or do a rain dance?

Yep, you're right. We should play this fixture at Widnes, that's much better.



Sorry Jonny but we have home advantage in a qtr final CC game and we're not going to move to another ground just to get a nice looking crowd on TV.

Hopefully the game itself will be a good enough advert for the sport - and besides, it's guaranteed to be a sell out so that can get a mention!

There will be 20 people who actually WATCH the county cricket game ( if that) and yet it will cause a "problem" for the RL part of the ground!!!

Who is pulling whose chain?

Elf & sayftea is the reason stated.

The risk analysis will be a good laugh if anyone can get hold of a copy.

What crowd would you have got, i'd guess at 17k ish? So will the cricket team be compensating leeds and the pies?

This is a wind up.

Last two meetings in the cup at Headingley, one of which was also a QF had attendances of 9,600 and 10,100. So we would probably have seen a crowd of 10k anyway. Certainly not much more than that. The reduction at leasts gives the game the opportunity to have mitigating circumstance for the ground being half full (they just have to ensure that the BBC understand and point this out rather than bemoaning a lack of fans on national TV) and will allow the positive PR of having a sell out rather than an attendance of about 50% capacity.

I beg to differ - we got 17k for Warrington last week and with Wigan top of the pile at the minute, it's going to be a huge game.

And we want a nice challenge cup run.

Besides, last years 4th round tie against Saints at Headingley was 17,689 so there is a market here for challenege cup clashes.

I think Wigan have sold all their 2500 tickets and I can't see less than 13000 Leeds fans.
It's a shame this, I was really looking forward to it.

Free game though?

The Warrington game was in SL so your ST holders would have got in without having to pay extra, unlike the CC game. Fans throughout the clubs won't pay extra to attend cup games so you won't match the numbers.

We are top of the league but as the away team our ticket allocation is limited so even selling them all would have little overall effect. Many of our fans didn't bother to buy tickets for a semi last year against a local rival so we likely wouldn't sell any more than 3k anyway depite the resurgence.

Our fans want a run to Wembley too but many people still aren't prepared to pay to attend matches other than the final (unless they don't have to pay)

The 4th round tie last year as it did this year had free tickets for ST holders (of Leeds and Saints) so people that will not fork out extra for a cup ticket will attend as they don't have to pay to do so. The tie would not have got a crowd much over half the one one it did had the tickets not been free. That is why the free ticket scheme was introduced.

The ties you mention cannot be used as a like for like comparison as the tickets were included in the cost of a ST. The previous Leeds v Wigan ties were not included in a ST so give a truer indication of the likely level of support. I know that your home crowds are much higher than 10k but like it or not many people will pay for a ST and will not pay to attend any other games except for the CC final and Grand Final.