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Time for administrators to wake up on failing Super Rugby: Wessels

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15th February, 2019
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Melbourne Rebels coach Dave Wessels says all Super Rugby stakeholders need to admit the competition is in a difficult position and needs fixing.

Super Rugby only has itself to blame for declining crowds and poor TV ratings, Melbourne Rebels coach Dave Wessels says.

Just 8,500 people rolled up for an entertaining Australian conference season opener in Canberra on Friday night as the Rebels downed the Brumbies 34-27.

The modest turnout in perfect conditions backs up the ACT team averaging their lowest crowds in club history last year.

Wessels says it is hard to see where the competition finds itself because he has fond memories of watching Super Rugby growing up in South Africa.

“(Super Rugby) wasn’t just an international rugby competition, it opened up a whole new world for me,” he told reporters.

“But we haven’t done a good job of it, to be honest. Me, the players, the administrators, all sorts of people.

“We’ve got to admit that, we’ve got to work harder and we’ve got to fix it because it’s actually a great product.”

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But there are signs interest could be starting to rise after figures showed Super Rugby matches played in Australia attracted an average audience of 71,000 last year, up nine per cent on 2017.

The ratings are better than the A-League, but Super Rugby is still dwarfed by the AFL and NRL.

© AAP

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