International Rugby Board's 2010 report (Part 1)

Again more growth of the game in France with this Rd 24 again setting another record in crowd attendance. A total of 180'686 (25,812/match) French rugby fans for the 7 matches over the Weekend. http://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/top-14-resultats.html 2 games had over 50K. Stade Francias vs Clermont - 73,584 Toulon vs Toulouse - 51,406 The average attendance in the stadiums of the Top 14 this season now stands at 13,979 spectators per game, an increase of 6% from last season with the same period. With 2 more rounds to go and and a few more big games including: SF vs Racing.. Most likely at the Stade de France again. Montipellier vs Toulon Toulouse vs Clermont.. Plus the Finals... No doubt there will be a MUCH bigger in increase in the crowd average and total crowds by the end of this Seasons TOP 14. And just looked thru the PROD2 competition...The French 2nd Division. Lyon vs Oyonnax - 35'000! at Stade Vuillermet Lyon! http://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/RugbyFicheMatch15367.html This is the 2nd time Lyon have gotten over 30K for this PROD2 Season. Lyon are still first on the points table... Lets hope they make it to Top 14 next season.. With crowds like this.. They would be a welcome addition!

How can the numbers be rubbery?? The IRB is a reputable organisation and cannot afford to massage the figures for the sake of its own credibility. The TV view figures are also not produced by the IRB, but are also independently verified by some global media company.

Gibraltar only has 1 club. My brother-in-law played for a season there a few years back. They play against other Spanish teams in that neck of the woods and in his words is nothing more than subbies level rugby with next to no local interest. Hence, I am not convinced of the accuracy of these later comments about a local appetite for Gibraltar team joining some greater league. Gib is so small they don't even play in Gib. Their home ground is across the border in Spain!

Why does Australia have half the playing numbers of Ireland and the same numbers as Scotland when so many kids are playing rugby for their school sides in, for example, Sydney on Saturday afternnoons. Aren't they counted? When between 30 to 50 per cent of Australian school children go to private schools and most play their sports on Saturdays it seems ridiculous that there is no counting of them. In the Mastercard report Australia is listed as having as many senior players as South Africa but a quarter of their junior numbers. The report also states that there are double the number of senior players in Australia as junior players - which is illogical - if they haven't played as a junior they are not likely to play as a senior. When we know that some schools in Sydney have 40 rugby teams running out on Saturdays - that's 800 kids per school. If you have to register for a club in a Saturday competition to be considered a junior rugby player in Australia for the purposes of this report we are doing a disservice to our game both in Australia and the perception overseas. The Australian Schools teams - remember 78 - Mark, Glen and Gary Ella, Wally Lewis, Michael O'Connor, Tony Melrose, Michael Hawker etc - to 2008 - Kurtley Beale, Quade Cooper, Will Genia, Rod Davies, David Pocock, Ben McCalman etc are historically, with New Zealand, the most powefrul schoolboy teams in the world. Not counting them and saying that all Australians under 18 play AFL, soccer or Rugby League and that Rugby Union is a game for losers makes a mockery of our great game. Saturday afternoon school matches between Joeys and Riverview with 10,000 people watching show there is junior rugby being played in Australia. Maybe we should, instead of criticising the ARU report that said that over 200.000 people played rugby in Australia, actually think what that means. Having lived in France and visited Scotland and Ireland I think we are selling us short if we think rugby's footprint is any less than in those countries.

The Bush I done some searching and have found out about what I think is going on regarding the SIR. Having scoured a few information sources (and wishing I'd listened more to my Spanish teacher at school) it appears that the will be played this November with a 12 team, teo pool (North and South) format played home and away. The teams will be territorial 'franchises' and will once again be broadcast on Spanish TV. It's needed in my opinion as Spain is a next level team with the potential to build a solid next level Rugby championship.

Of the 55k that sold for Barcalona 15k of those were sold to locals. Not a bad return really.

The US have been searching out professional opportunities for their Eagles. The big issue for them is gaining access to long term working visa's. Evidently, its not easy for an American to get one for some reason or other.

I'm guessing the bulk of their international team do not come from local registered players though. I think there are another 50 odd k in Auckland alone.

couple of points to add to this: - in the US they have been proactively pushing their eagles players to get overseas experience eg through working contacts, creating youtube highlight CVs etc. this has seen at least a few guys getting say UK Championship deals which is better than playing amatuer rugby in america - apparently even russia soccer has some sparse support in parts but still has top teams ie the oligarch effect. So I can see russia 'punching above its weight' and having some decent teams even if playing numbers are relatively low. this may seem like a crazy extrapolation from soccer but remember there is already one billionaire involved and that these oligarchs can get competitive.

Kovana The Japanese beat a effectively 2nd string Russia. Seven of their regular starters didn't play. Russia have been using the past 6 months to evaluate and develop their depth for the RWC. It's why they have turned in indifferent performances during the ENC.

That was the goal of the SIR, to incorporate teams from both Spain and Portugal including a presence in Gibraltar. From what I understand the new group Iberians Rugby has similar ambitions for their structure but intially it will be an all Spanish appear with the Gibraltan team known as 'The Rocks'. Personally, the IRB needs to go in and make their funding reliant on establishing suc a competition even if they need to invest greater resources to ensure it occurs. Places like Belgium and the Iberian Pennisula are key growth areas for the gameand its jounry into a truly competitive European game. It's not that far away. The spani9sh team had a much improved campaign in the ENC fielding a very competitive team.

FYI: IOC boss Jacques Roque is a former Belgian Test prop. I'm sure that helps!

WCR, Good to be in agreement (about Georgia beating Japan). Until the Japanese league becomes home-and-away and recruits all the local players on professional contracts, it's going to remain difficult for the team to truly progress. Their record against the Pacific Islands is good, however the Islands are constantly hamstrung by not having their best players released (even in the windows when they should be). Having said that, they performed well in 2007 against Fiji (barely losing), who then went on to beat Wales... The Georgians play week-in-week-out in France (mostly) and as such are battle hardened. In my opinion their pack would simply dominate, and the Japanese backs, if they are better, wouldn't be good enoguh to overcome this significant advantage. Would be a good match though, and hopefully a tour by one party takes place at some stage.

A shame that the peninsular can't get their act together. The blueprint idea, five or six Spanish sides, three or four portugese sides and a Gibralter side is a good blueprint. In the future a side from Andorra could be brought in possibly (doubt they have the resources, but no less likely than Gibralter in some ways). Spain and Portugal have strong national sides, and Spain has a big population and a relatively large player base to build on. They should be much better than they are (proximaty to France and Italy also).

Scotland's numbers are real. The numbers of schools playing the game there has soared because they have worked at spreading the game there that way.This article explains this. It shows what every other union could be achieving if they got proactive and serious about expanding. http://www.scottishrugby.org/content/view/1189/2/ I don't see that Ireland has reached saturation point. It's becoming more common for people to play gaelic football (most popular sport, 250,000 participants) and rugby and see them as having crossover skills. Even if it's only to keep fit in Winter. There are also areas of Ireland, (Tipperary, Donegal, half of Dublin, most of Connacht) that in the past hardly played rugby at all and have plenty of room for growth. I could easily see rugby becoming the second most popular field sport in the future. Russia is a very interesting case in that the government got hugely involved in growing the sport. The sport minister adopted it, they are funding ten stadiums and spreading the sport out from Moscow in a kind of a hub and wheel style. Belgians growth in numbers are amazing considering the absolute zero history and awareness of the sport there. I spend a lot of time there and it really has come from nowhere. Very impressive.

Cheers. Thanks for that WCR.. I better get to work on Part 2 of this IRB report.... Going to be talking about the NACRA registered playing numbers.

:lol: Sorry Sluggy... PR doesnt deserve these kind of articles.. I will post em here, where they are respected.

Some very good news out of Columbus, Ohio. They have just wrapped Columbus Rugby Week with great success. More than 7,200 kids particpated in the various activities. In Ohio there are now 31 schools programs playing the game. The rate in which the game is expanding at the High and Middle School levels in the States is amazing.