Main attraction is being sold short

THE former Lions coach and Scotland director of rugby, Jim Telfer, once declared: “We could send out 15 chimpanzees in Scotland jerseys and the public would still come to Murrayfield to cheer them on.” A decade later, these words are returning to haunt the game with a vengeance, writes Neil Drysdale.

Last Saturday, when the Scots slipped to a narrow 23-19 defeat against Argentina, the main concern wasn’t so much the result as the paltry 14,491 attendance, which contrasted alarmingly with the 70,000 who had turned up to watch Wales edge past the Fijians on the previous night.

For a spell at the beginning of the 21st century it seemed that a newly-found commercialism was beginning to transform the ailing business which is the Scottish Rugby Union — currently £23m in debt.

Phil Anderton, at that stage the governing body’s marketing director, slashed ticket prices, booked rock bands and grew famous for his pyrotechnic firework displays, oblivious to the faltering performances of the national team.

In 2001, more than 157,000 fans attended the three autumn fixtures against Tonga, Argentina and New Zealand, with Anderton’s strategy of free buses for schoolchildren, and cut-price family packages generating unprecedented support.

However, since Anderton’s exit last December, several key initiatives have been scrapped, notably a £300,000 marketing campaign to promote the 2005 autumn internationals, the leafleting of schools and discounting to clubs buying in bulk.

The crowd for Samoa today is expected to be no more than 15,000, while 20,000 tickets remain unsold for the visit to Murrayfield on Saturday of what is possibly the most luminous All Black team ever to grace the arena.

The lack of marketing sense is breathtaking. The SRU charged £25 and £30 for a ticket to watch Scotland play Argentina and got a 14,000 gate. Meanwhile, the Welsh had a straight £10 and £5 price for adults and kids for the Fiji match and attracted 70,000.

However, what is even more alarming is the apparent ignorance on the part of most Scots about the arrival of Tana Umaga’s All Black magicians in Edinburgh this week. The finest exponents of their art, New Zealand should be a draw on a par with Tiger Woods or Real Madrid coming to town. It’s part of a sporting education, but it seems fewer and fewer can be bothered to come along.

This article was posted on 20-Nov-2005, 01:10 by Hugh Barrow.