Rugby Championships matches in the northern hemisphere could become a more regular feature as the competition seeks to attract new audiences and take games to expatriate fans, organisers say.
Australia clash with Argentina at Twickenham in London in their final game of this year’s competition on October 8, the first time a match in the southern hemisphere championship will be staged in the English capital.
Andy Marinos, the chief executive of SANZAR, which runs the Rugby Championship, believes it could be the start of a regular fixture in Europe.
“We saw how positive the (Rugby) World Cup was in the UK and we feel our game is about taking it to as many supporters as possible,” Marinos said in a statement on Thursday.
“It’s a good opportunity for extra exposure and bringing a meaningful Rugby Championship game to London is something that will continue to promote rugby at a moment when its popularity is continuing to grow.
“The style of play in the Rugby Championship is a very exportable commodity to further increase the attractiveness of the sport. People want to see a free-flowing style and the game is moving in that direction.”
Marinos says the global trend is to take matches to new territories, but SANZAR is focussing on England for now.
“Australia, New Zealand, South Africa all have huge ex-pat communities in the UK so these games will be attractive to them,” he said.
“Australia and New Zealand have already taken international rugby abroad to the USA and to Hong Kong, and people will continue to look at new markets, but Europe and the UK has such a strong rugby heritage and we at SANZAR would like to continue that approach.”
The Rugby Championship kicks off on August 20 when Australia host New Zealand in Sydney.
Nobrain
Roar Guru
Incredible, you have the guts to tell me what Argentina and the UAR should do and is doing, what do you know about it. I do not get involve in what I feel do not know about. You have made so many erronous statements that you cannot get out of it. What do you know about how UAR is managing their money and budget? " This is about money" wooo!! Realy? You are blowing my mind!!!! I do no think you know enougn about world economy to carry on with the argument :" the pound is stronger than the usd dollar" really, woo!!! My 13 yeor old doughter knows that, but she also knows that the currency that depreciated more in the world this year is the pund. Then you say that the 50.000 stadium capacity has not been not been sold out in previuos RCH game in Argentina when they played Australia, now you are saying forget the crowd. Quit coming around things. The point that is all about money is the one I raised in my first statement and is the one that I am against . Pls, write about what you know and let other people write about they know, otherwise the only thing you do is create more confusion.
Bakkies
Guest
My behaviour has nought to do with it. Take up your grief with the UAR.
Bakkies
Guest
Come off it. I'm Australian and know what this tournament is about. You have to be completely realistic about the whole thing. Bigger crowds in Argentina isn't compatible to Australia and definitely not the UK financially. This is all about money and a bigger picture politically. Your union have to fund a growing professional program with a weak currency, poor administration, one pro side and inter-provincial politics. You can bang on all about the USD but it ain't the Pound and the Euro. You also have the Yen and potentially the Singapore Dollar as a competitor financially. The UAR are sponsored by Visa and can attract bigger companies in Europe to sponsor them. Same goes for the ARU and the Wallabies. The Super Rugby tournament also needs far better sponsorship deals commercially as a whole and the European broadcasters have jacked up the finances due to competition. There is also global politcis. ARU and NZRU are also stating that they're are share of 'wealthy' home union gates and a global calendar. The global calendar is bluster it's all about getting a share of profits particularly from the home unions. This is despite only the RFU are making a profit, However they're are ploughing £55 million in to their own asset for redevelopment. Out of the Celtic unions the IRFU is barely in the black. Wales and Scotland are paying off debt. The RFU and IRFU have already said they won't budge or are unwilling to move the Six Nations. I still don't know how it will improve the Sanzaar financial model shifting the same Rugby calendar to a different month. Global calendar was raised in the same meeting in Woking when Argentina's future was raised in 2007.
Bakkies
Guest
Come off it. I'm Australian and know what this tournament is about. You have to be completely realistic about the whole thing. This is all about money. Your union have to fund a growing professional program with a weak currency, poor administration, one pro side and inter-provincial politics. You can bang on all about the USD but it ain't the Pound and the Euro. You also have the Yen and potentially the Singapore Dollar as a competitor financially. The ARU and NZRU are also stating that they're are share of 'wealthy' home union gates and a global calendar. The global calendar is bluster it's all about getting a share of profits particularly from the home unions. This is despite only the RFU are making a profit, However they're are ploughing £55 million in to their own asset for redevelopment. Out of the Celtic unions the IRFU is barely in the black. Wales and Scotland are paying off debt.
Nobrain
Guest
The Pumas supposed to be the locals not the Wallabies, Bakkies, is like you got tickets everybody else should adjust at your behavior.
Nobrain
Guest
Bakkies, they have been more people attending the games in Argentina than i Australia, but guess your missing the point. This a SH tournment and it should be play were it belongs regardless the the money and and crowd. You sound like a old imperialistic person with no regards to others.
Bakkies
Guest
Apart from having to wake early in the morning to watch it doesn't prevent Aussie domestic fans from going to the game as it is a Pumas home game.
Waz
Guest
It is and I've no doubt it will be a success over there. But over here, it's already a failure!
Bakkies
Guest
Well it's all about whoring out the Wallabies and Pulver will point to the 66,000 tickets sold so far and it's just less then three months off.
Bakkies
Guest
Of course I know it's not a friendly and not fair on the Argentinian fans but both unions agreed to it. USD is pretty much irrelevant it's more about the price of the tickets I think from memory the most expensive seats were £91. What would a Category A ticket fetch in Argentina? I paid £70 for my tickets and they're tucked in on the try line. Only lower tier tickets are left. The Wallabies games so far in Argentina have been 50,000 seaters and not sold out.
Darwin Stubbie
Guest
But they won't be able to do that without an agreement from NZ .... for that to even remotely get air time the kiwis would want a very favourable revenue split - which might end any notions of shifting it
Waz
Guest
I guess we'll have to wait and see what exactly this means. But servicing the needs of "ex-pats" in the U.K. looks a risky strategy at the expense of the domestic market which is in need of a boost and losing ground on all the other codes year on year :(
Nobrain
Guest
In Argentina we move in usd so what the UAR will receive is 30%less dollars that what they initially agreed when the signed, for that difference they could perfectly well play here. When we will have France vs England for de six nations here? Is all about money Bakkies and I know you are happy to go there and watch the game, but you have to understand that is not fair for the fans of Argentina and Australia, and is not fair neither for NZ and SA. This is not a friendly game as you think , this is our six nation in the SH.
Bakkies
Guest
Pound is stronger than the USD and has clawed back recently. A significant percentage of the tickets were sold prior to the referendum. I brought my tickets on the day the tickets were publicly released and a lot of the got sections were sold out already.
Nobrain
Guest
Who cares, by playing in UK they lost 30% of the money in usd terms. We are not even close to default, in matter of facts we just came out from it by reaching an agreement withe holdouts. And by no means this is a friendly match, this is RCH.
Bakkies
Guest
Brazil play friendlies in the UK. Your economy is still close to default isn't it?
Bakkies
Guest
This is the insane travelling schedule that the ARU have signed the Wallabies up to from the back end of the 4 Nations in to December South Africa Wallabies Saturday 1 October Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Argentina Wallabies Saturday 8 October Twickenham Stadium, London New Zealand Wallabies Saturday 22 October Eden Park, Auckland Wales Wallabies Saturday 5 November Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Scotland Wallabies Saturday 12 November Murrayfield, Edinburgh France Wallabies Saturday 19 November Stade De France, Paris Ireland Wallabies Saturday 26 November Aviva Stadium, Dublin England Wallabies Saturday 3 December Twickenham Stadium, London
Bakkies
Guest
'Argentina should not be taking the Championship games out of their country as Rugby is still in early growth phase there.' The country is skint and the union is cash strapped due to funding the professional game there in Pesos.
Bakkies
Guest
The UAR smartly scheduled the Bok game for Salta where they have got good crowds against the Boks and performed well. It's good to see that Mendoza has been given the kick to touch this year
Nobrain
Guest
You do not know qhat your talking about, our currency is not weak right now, the currency that lost the most value this year in the world is the British Pound with the Brixit . So pls, do nor confuse the rest of the people reading here that do not follow world economy.