Travelling fans shouldn’t be afterthought for organisers, they’ve helped make European rugby what it is
LEAFING through the archives of Leicester and Munster’s pitched battles over the course of the Heineken Cup, it was striking to observe the pitch invasion that followed the Irish side’s revenge mission at Welford Road in the 2003 quarterfinal.
What looks like thousands of Red Army faithful poured on to the turf to celebrate a 20-7 win over the team who had denied them the trophy a year earlier – one of those moments that helped build the tournament into what it is. That’s all history now, but the engagement of fans has always been part of what made the European games great.
Super Rugby is entertaining to watch, but travelling distances mean away fans are unable to attend matches and the atmosphere is diminished.
Ask any new southern hemisphere signing what the most striking thing about playing in these pool games is and it’s the sense of combativeness that rolls down from the stands that jumps out. The success of the tournament has obviously inspired greater interest from broadcasters and after the politicking that led to the reformation of the tournament and the beginning of the Champions Cup in 2014, the fans have suffered.
The compromise agreement to allow games to be broadcast on both Sky Sports and BT Sport has been bad for supporters who have had to pay more for the right to watch their team on the box or asked to attend games at increasingly obscure times.
This weekend, the fabled rivalry of Munster and Leicester will be played out at 7.45 on a Saturday night.
Leinster are in the deep southwest of England to face Exeter Chiefs at 5.30 on a Sunday.
Traditionally, the last game on a Saturday was scheduled for the popular 5.30 slot, while the Sunday games concluded with a
3pm kick-off.
Life is now more awkward for fans who want to support their teams. Despite that, around
1,000 Leinster fans are expected to turn a corner of Sandy Park blue this Sunday, but the crowd at Thomond Park is expected to be below capacity – partly as a result of the late kick-off as fans travelling from Cork, the rest of Munster and Dublin face a late finish.
From next season, the tournament will be broadcast on BT Sport with a free-to-air Irish broadcaster showing one game per weekend and that
should mean that at least one of the awkward kick-off times – potentially both – will go.
BT has spotted the gap in the busy sporting television schedule on Sunday evenings that has allowed the NFL to thrive and wants to exploit it, but it gives no time for travelling internationally and is forcing fans to take time off work to get to games.
Sensible kick-off times are one thing but another is choosing venues for the semi-finals and finals that can deal with the mass influx of people.
Fans have taken to social media to complain of the astronomical prices of accommodation being charged in Bilbao on the finals weekend.
This week, organisers EPCR announced that ticket sales for the Challenge Cup and Champions Cup finals have surpassed 49,000 for the state-ofthe-art San Mamés stadium, but the city is struggling to cope with the numbers expected.
Taking the finals weekend to new venues is to be welcomed and EPCR are working hard with the locals to find solutions, but supporters are facing long commutes from surrounding towns given it could cost them €600 per night for the weekend in the Old Town or the city centre.
The Basque city is lovely and lively, but it will be tough to get to.
If an Irish team reaches the final, the airlines will likely lay on extra flights but currently a return direct Aer Lingus flight from Dublin will cost fans more than €900. In fairness to Bilbao, Cardiff, Edinburgh and even Dublin have similar issues each time a big game is played and fans are forced to travel from far and wide on match-day, but there is a familiarity to those venues that comes as comfort to those travelling.
Newcastle hosts the finale in 2019, while the decision process on 2020 and 2021 is under way.
So far, EPCR has proven adaptable in improving a tournament that was set up in haste and in difficult circumstances.
One hopes that when the big decisions are being made in the coming months, fans who shell out hard-earned money and help make the event what it is are taken into account.