Rugby needs to hold, engage
THE chair of Gold Coast’s tourism marketing body is urging Rugby Australia to properly market next month’s Test match or risk it failing like a sevens flop a few years back.
The Wallabies take on Argentina at Robina’s CBUS Super Stadium on September 15. City rugby fans this month expressed fears scant promotion would lead to a poor turnout and kill the Coast’s chance of hosting another Test soon.
Destination Gold Coast chairman Paul Donovan is now urging Rugby Australia not to sidestep promotional duties to give it the best chance of success.
“We need to make sure it is marketed and Rugby Australia needs to market it,” Mr Donovan told the Bulletin.
“A lot of people aware it is happening.
“Everyone is doing their little bit but Rugby Australia has to get out there or it will suffer the same fate as when we had the sevens here because no one knew about it,” Mr Donovan said.
An international Rugby Sevens stop on the Gold Coast was axed after poor turnouts in 2014 and even led to calls for slashed prices for this year’s Commonwealth Games sevens sessions.
The most recent Wallabies Test on the Gold Coast was 2014, against Argentina, before a lowly turnout of 14,000.
It was among the lowest turnouts for a rugby international in Australia.
Mr Donovan, an avid rugby fan, said next month’s Wallabies versus Argentina clash was shaping up to be a great game. are not
Argentina beat South Africa at the weekend and Australia is coming off two heavy losses to the All Blacks.
“We want everyone to get out there and enjoy the atmosphere and bring the Australians home,” Mr Donovan said.
Former Australian rugby union boss John O’Neill, on the Gold Coast last week as Star Entertainment Group chairman, told the Bulletin he would be in the city for the clash against Argentina and was speaking at a lunch a day prior.
While he still had a “lot of affection and affinity” for the game, the Wallabies needed to perform to improve rugby’s stock nationally.
“That’s the nature of sport. The health and wellbeing of the game is entirely dependent on the performance of the Wallabies. The Wallabies haven’t been performing so therefore the health and wellbeing of the game is not in great shape,” he said.
Rugby Australia has focused on a community engagement campaign offering free tickets to 1200 juniors registered for a pre-Test march at CBUS, ticket discounts and incentives for city rugby clubs, $10 tickets for university students and discount corporate boxes. Advertising has also now started.