ARGY BARGY AS TEST FLOP TIPPED
Wallabies game yet to hit radar
RUGBY Australia has been told to stop fumbling the ball and better promote the first international match on the Gold Coast in four years.
Sources say ticket sales to the Test between Argentina and the Wallabies at Cbus Stadium, Robina, on September 15 are dire – and many people asked by the Bulletin this week, including diehard rugby fans, did not know it was on.
Sport leaders fear an average turnout would reflect poorly on the Gold Coast.
“I would have thought Rugby Australia’s efforts (in promoting the Robina Test) would have been more intense,” Coast Districts Rugby Union chairman Kim Bending said.
A Rugby Australia spokesman would not reveal how many tickets had been sold, but said an “extensive” marketing campaign would start next week.
CITY sport leaders fear the Gold Coast’s first rugby Test in four years is heading for a flop, killing the chance of getting another one any time soon.
The Wallabies play Argentina on September 15 at Cbus Super Stadium but scant promotion has city rugby fans scratching heads and fuelling concern about a poor turnout.
Adding to the fears is Nudgee College host Gold Coast’s TSS out of town for their wellattended annual First XV clash earlier in the afternoon. Rugby Australia say they tried to get it as the curtain-raiser but were rebuffed by Nudgee which scheduled it 12 months ago as part of reunion activities.
The Test will be the Gold Coast’s first since the Wallabies versus Argentina here in 2014 drew a paltry crowd of just 14,000.
A source revealed they were told weeks ago 2000 tickets had sold to 27,000-capacity CBUS and a crowd of 10,000 was forecast. A Rugby Australia spokesman told the Bulletin more than 2000 had sold but wouldn’t say how many.
Gold Coast rugby and sport administrators are “perplexed” at what they feel is a lack of enthusiasm from Rugby Australia around promotion. But Rugby Australia, which has a slim marketing budget, hopes a campaign heavy on community engagement and hype starting from this weekend’s Bledisloe fixture will help sales.
Gold Coast Districts Rugby Union chairman Kim Bending said: “I would have thought Rugby Australia’s efforts would have been more intense.
“If we don’t get a reasonable crowd it will be the last time we see one here for a while. I feel a little perplexed. A poor crowd would be used as the excuse to not schedule another fixture on the Gold Coast.”
Sports Gold Coast chairman Geoff Smith said meetings with Rugby Australia, Gold Coast rugby stakeholders, plus Tourism and Events Queensland started months ago to brainstorm filling the stadium. But Mr Smith said he came away from the meetings feeling Rugby Australia lacked enthusiasm.
“I’m disappointed. It’s quite clear they are fighting a lot of battles and Gold Coast is least of their concerns.”
But a senior Coast club rugby figure said while Rugby Australia were “poorly organised” and lacked marketing nous, the TSS match and Coast club finals should not have been on the same day as the Test announced last year: “The Test should take precedence.”
Rugby Australia “community engagement” plans include 1200 free tickets to juniors marching pre-match, $10 university student tickets plus discounts and rebates for Coast rugby clubs.
“Extensive” marketing covering digital, TV and radio ads, direct email, and street panels is yet to start.
Rugby Australia corporate affairs general manager Michael Earsman said the national body had worked closed with Sports Gold Coast, Destination Gold Coast and TEQ.
“Some of the planned ac- tivity around the two Queensland Test matches will commence next week onwards, which possibly explains the lack of visibility of marketing activity up there at this stage,” Mr Earsman said.
“This is an extensive campaign which we are confident will positively impact ticket sales. We are still one month out so it is too early to make any realistic assessment of an expected attendance figure, particularly given most of our Queensland activity is not yet in market.”