Rugby fans 'appreciate a showpiece'

Tuesday 29 December 2009
Published By: Ben Welch
Guinness Premiership > London Wasps

More than 76,000 people turned out to see Wasps take on Harlequins at Twickenham this weekend, raising the question of what it is that rugby fans want to see.

Writing for the Telegraph, Hugh Godwin has suggested that we can't resist the lure of a grand occasion, that spectacle is what the game is all about at the highest level.

It seems that club fixture lists are ever-expanding these days, with league and cup games being piled on at the expense of players' health.

But Godwin highlighted Sunday's match - which saw Wasps claim a one-point victory despite Danny Cipriani missing five out of seven kicks on his return from injury - as being indicative of what the fans truly appreciate - the one-off showpiece.

"Maybe it's time to cut back on league games, to protect players' bodies and to concentrate on what the masses appear to want," he said, highlighting the high attendance at the recent Barbarians vs All Blacks clash as an example.