The ROF wouldn’t sell out easily, though it may have sold out. It didn’t quite sell out for WC Playoff against Peru on a beautiful sunny day
There is going to be a few thousand Australian sports fans in Auckland this weekend, many doing both Sat & Sun fixtures. There are far more TT flights in & out of Auckland than Welly. I imagine Sky save cash having their cameras in just one ground for the weekend
Probably a few other reasons while AWs playing at EP makes some good commercial sense
i get the idea of the triple header being appealing, but whilst some of the Aussie fans here for the Rugby may go to the footy I doubt all of them will. Different following for both sports. An AW's vs Socceroos match in Welly sells 36k+ seats in a heartbeat, plus you dont have the massive pressure put on flight to one city from Aus. NZF made a bad call on that one. If Sky stadium was availabe it should have been used.
unfortunatley the Bledisloe cup was due to be played in Auckland, it gets sghared around the cities. Primarily Wellingotn, Auckland and Hamilton since CHch hasnt had a stadium for aaaages. Can't remember Dunedin gettig a game either. NZF didnt need to go to Eden Park, they could have sold out Sky Stadium in Wellington easily.
The ROF wouldn’t sell out easily, though it may have sold out. It didn’t quite sell out for WC Playoff against Peru on a beautiful sunny day
There is going to be a few thousand Australian sports fans in Auckland this weekend, many doing both Sat & Sun fixtures. There are far more TT flights in & put of Auckland than Welly. I imagine Sky save cash having their cameras in just one ground for the weekend
Probably a few other reasons while AWs playing at EP makes some good commercial sense
i get the idea of the triple header being appealing, but whilst some of the Aussie fans here for the Rugby may go to the footy I doubt all of them will. Different following for both sports. An AW's vs Socceroos match in Welly sells 36k+ seats in a heartbeat, plus you dont have the massive pressure put on flight to one city from Aus. NZF made a bad call on that one. If Sky stadium was availabe it should have been used.
The women's rugby was scheduled well after the football, which, itself, was after the ABs was scheduled. If NZF moved the game to Wellington it'd cost them thousands, in terms of refunds and broken contracts. Not to mention there's already rugby scheduled at Sky Stadium for today as well, so the issue would be the same there. I don't know on what basis you can claim that Wellington would sell out in a heartbeat, the last friendly there, a couple months after the 2010 WC against a quarterfinalist in Paraguay, got 15k. Only the playoffs got near those numbers, and they were far bigger games than this one.
Also, why shouldn't Auckland get to host a semi-big game for once? The last three IC playoffs all got given to Wellington, whereas Auckland gets given the Solomons and New Caledonia. Auckland is the biggest city, with the biggest football numbers, and the most production of players. I get this is a predominantly Wellington forum, but still.
Rugby isn't dying... at least not now after the money they just brought in.
It's more a case of football is bigger now and only going to get bigger.
I will give you a few examples of Rugby's demise. Waterside Karori Football's website states that they have 1,000 members and 100 teams. Wests Rugby which covers Karori, Khandallah and Ngaio can only field two Senior teams. There are Colleges who cannot field a Rugby team and in country areas there are Rugby Clubs that have gone into recess. In other words, they cannot field a team, so the amenities just sit there in hope that at some future stage a team maybe resurrected. There are Clubs amalgamating to enable a team to be formed. In the Taranaki Stratford and Inglewood who used to be large Rugby Clubs have amalgamated. Paekakariki the home of Christain Cullen is no longer and the Football club has taken over their facilities.
NPC games have spot the spectators. Auckland V Waikato attracted about 300. There is no longer any shield fever that died some time ago.
While playing numbers for rugby are down, and down significantly, the sport of rugby is still very much in peoples hearts and minds. The worst All Blacks side in 20 years managed to sell out all their games this year at home and come the World Cup next year, every person and media outlet will be talking about it. It’s still the national sport… and always will be. In Melbourne where I am, the amount of kids who play AusKick (AFL) and is significantly lower then football in almost all parts of the city, but the mcg can sell out most big afl games and even an A League grand final will never be sold out.. player numbers don’t equate to popularity or love for a sport, especially that requires certain physical advantages that rugby requires whatever
MetalLegNZ
Rugby isn't dying... at least not now after the money they just brought in.
It's more a case of football is bigger now and only going to get bigger.
I will give you a few examples of Rugby's demise. Waterside Karori Football's website states that they have 1,000 members and 100 teams. Wests Rugby which covers Karori, Khandallah and Ngaio can only field two Senior teams. There are Colleges who cannot field a Rugby team and in country areas there are Rugby Clubs that have gone into recess. In other words, they cannot field a team, so the amenities just sit there in hope that at some future stage a team maybe resurrected. There are Clubs amalgamating to enable a team to be formed. In the Taranaki Stratford and Inglewood who used to be large Rugby Clubs have amalgamated. Paekakariki the home of Christain Cullen is no longer and the Football club has taken over their facilities.
NPC games have spot the spectators. Auckland V Waikato attracted about 300. There is no longer any shield fever that died some time ago.
Not sure if this is the right place but might give it a try anyway - got two category A tickets for sale as I can't attend due to bloody Covid... cost me $82.95 each, but happy to entertain lower offers than that, just send me a private message here and we can get it sorted. Cheers.
12 posts all about the rugby! Off topic imo. Rugby’s selling out all over the shop around the world and they’re trying to cut NZ out. Arrogant and rude to schedule the game before the football. But that’s 25k plus who are going to have a bad impression of rugby and more reason not to watch it or go to it with their kids.
So we better give them a game to watch. Freaking loved Garbett, Just and Libby. Who else gets in the box or drops deep to create the goals? Waine? De Jong? Old? How are we planning to use Woodsie? We’ve had little to no joy shooting long.
I hope Hay throws caution to the wind and starts with a 4-3-3 variant. Maybe with Payne at RB playing more conventional RB so Libby can push on.Expect to see Grieve starting on the right and Just on the left. Just as a false 9 in the pocket. Bell and Stamenic playing as 6’s with instructions to cover when Libby or Payne goes on.
I think Grieve will get some mileage from pressing them tomorrow; they, like us, don’t play out confidently when pressed. martinb
12 posts all about the rugby! Off topic imo. Rugby’s selling out all over the shop around the world and they’re trying to cut NZ out. Arrogant and rude to schedule the game before the football. But that’s 25k plus who are going to have a bad impression of rugby and more reason not to watch it or go to it with their kids.
So we better give them a game to watch. Freaking loved Garbett, Just and Libby. Who else gets in the box or drops deep to create the goals? Waine? De Jong? Old? How are we planning to use Woodsie? We’ve had little to no joy shooting long.
I hope Hay throws caution to the wind and starts with a 4-3-3 variant. Maybe with Payne at RB playing more conventional RB so Libby can push on.Expect to see Grieve starting on the right and Just on the left. Just as a false 9 in the pocket. Bell and Stamenic playing as 6’s with instructions to cover when Libby or Payne goes on.
I think Grieve will get some mileage from pressing them tomorrow; they, like us, don’t play out confidently when pressed. martinb
12 posts all about the rugby! Off topic imo. Rugby’s selling out all over the shop around the world and they’re trying to cut NZ out. Arrogant and rude to schedule the game before the football. But that’s 25k plus who are going to have a bad impression of rugby and more reason not to watch it or go to it with their kids.
So we better give them a game to watch. Freaking loved Garbett, Just and Libby. Who else gets in the box or drops deep to create the goals? Waine? De Jong? Old? How are we planning to use Woodsie? We’ve had little to no joy shooting long.
If Payne starts, I'm self immolating in the south stand.
I hope Hay throws caution to the wind and starts with a 4-3-3 variant. Maybe with Payne at RB playing more conventional RB so Libby can push on.Expect to see Grieve starting on the right and Just on the left. Just as a false 9 in the pocket. Bell and Stamenic playing as 6’s with instructions to cover when Libby or Payne goes on.
I think Grieve will get some mileage from pressing them tomorrow; they, like us, don’t play out confidently when pressed. martinb
12 posts all about the rugby! Off topic imo. Rugby’s selling out all over the shop around the world and they’re trying to cut NZ out. Arrogant and rude to schedule the game before the football. But that’s 25k plus who are going to have a bad impression of rugby and more reason not to watch it or go to it with their kids.
So we better give them a game to watch. Freaking loved Garbett, Just and Libby. Who else gets in the box or drops deep to create the goals? Waine? De Jong? Old? How are we planning to use Woodsie? We’ve had little to no joy shooting long.
If Payne starts, I'm self immolating in the south stand.
You'll have to get creative Russ, they'll confiscate your accelerant at the gate...
Kind of sums up what they really think of playing against New Zealand, despite all the public "ra ra isn't it great"... and a tool to devalue any result that goes against them :(
Very happy we took the family up here for this. Beautiful day. Heading up soon with my 7 year old and two friends who live here. I didn't get a chance to watch the first game properly, did Libby pull up lame??
Kind of sums up what they really think of playing against New Zealand, despite all the public "ra ra isn't it great"... and a tool to devalue any result that goes against them :(
You are looking at through blinkered NZ eyes. I'm currently in Aus. All the football talk is about the World Cup. These are the only locked pre WC warmups they have.
Arnold got what he wanted out of the first game, playing mostly a first string lineup, and aiming to go man on man to test those player's fitness. He now sends them back to their Euro clubs early, which always curries nice favour with their paymasters. Like all international coaches he has that tricky club verus country relationship to massage. Maybe he can get one or two of these guys released early by their clubs come November.
Today the younger/fringe players (kids) get a shot, as he seeks to make the hard picks with his final 26 man WC squad.
To the Socceroos it's all about the World Cup big picture. Fair enough, but very different motivations to the AWs camp, and NZ football public. All the 'ra ra talk' about Aus & NZ needing to play more often has come from Godzone, nothing at all from Australia. It hasn't been on their radar, and will continue not to be.
Hopefully AWs get up today in Winnie's farewell, but any taunted Aussies at Eden Park, could just shrug their shoulders and say 'who cares, we are going to the big dance, and you're not'.
Not really, they’re trying out different players ahead of their World Cup. You tend to find most if not all countries do this in friendlies… NZ taking this match far more then a friendly it seems, due to the Winston Reid, playing at home for first time in years and just generally lack of games.. Khalil Media
coochiee
RR
Further, per the release, Bailey Wright has not linked up with the squad after the birth of his second child earlier this week.
Kind of sums up what they really think of playing against New Zealand, despite all the public "ra ra isn't it great"... and a tool to devalue any result that goes against them :(
Well he must of been disappointed with their performance then. Based on what I saw, they will struggle at the WC. From a NZ perspective- compare the Roo’s performance to that of the AW in our build up to South Africa. If you want to go far in this tournament you need to be showing some form at this point.coochiee
Khalil Media
coochiee
RR
Further, per the release, Bailey Wright has not linked up with the squad after the birth of his second child earlier this week.
Kind of sums up what they really think of playing against New Zealand, despite all the public "ra ra isn't it great"... and a tool to devalue any result that goes against them :(
You are looking at through blinkered NZ eyes. I'm currently in Aus. All the football talk is about the World Cup. These are the only locked pre WC warmups they have.
Arnold got what he wanted out of the first game, playing mostly a first string lineup, and aiming to go man on man to test those player's fitness. He now sends them back to their Euro clubs early, which always curries nice favour with their paymasters. Like all international coaches he has that tricky club verus country relationship to massage. Maybe he can get one or two of these guys released early by their clubs come November.
Today the younger/fringe players (kids) get a shot, as he seeks to make the hard picks with his final 26 man WC squad.
To the Socceroos it's all about the World Cup big picture. Fair enough, but very different motivations to the AWs camp, and NZ football public. All the 'ra ra talk' about Aus & NZ needing to play more often has come from Godzone, nothing at all from Australia. It hasn't been on their radar, and will continue not to be.
Hopefully AWs get up today in Winnie's farewell, but any taunted Aussies at Eden Park, could just shrug their shoulders and say 'who cares, we are going to the big dance, and you're not'.
Sorry have tried to post pic of the ground but the technology is too much for me. Pitch looks very good, I wonder if they cut it after the rugby last night?