Was 'Judgement Day II' A Success?

The great and the good of Welsh rugby assembled inside the Millennium Stadium on Easter Sunday for ‘Judgement day’. As the controversy surrounding Welsh rugby is starting to iron itself out, it was a chance for rugby fans to sit back and enjoy the day.

Was the event a success? No. It can’t be considered a success. The ‘Judgement Day’ format is primarily a business venture, the quality of rugby plays second fiddle. It is a way of getting more people through the turnstiles and increasing the revenue within Welsh rugby. Priced at only £15 for the whole day it was an inexpensive way to go and watch top class rugby.

However, the figures don’t lie and the official attendance was down around 5,500 from last year’s event. Last year Judgement Day brought in 36,174 fans this year only 30,411; it is difficult to see that as a success. There are contributing factors; it was Easter Sunday and a long weekend. Many people had taken the opportunity to spend time with family or take a trip away. Yet, at the Everton-Manchester United game, Goodison Park was close to being sold out; so can Welsh rugby hide behind this excuse.

Simple maths tells us that each team brought around 7,500 fans. This is simply not enough; it is not just the fault of the WRU for marketing the event poorly. The regions need to take some of the blame for their own marketing. They are not attracting ‘new’ fans to the regional game and the financial repercussions are killing the game in Wales.

If we look at the Saracens-Harlequins game from last month, it was held at Wembley and attracted a crowd of 83,889. Saracens crowds normally average at 10,000 and can reach 20,000 for a big Heineken Cup game, Harlequins have similar figures. Therefore, there were around 40,000 ‘new’ fans attracted to Wembley to see that game, this is what ‘Judgement Day’ should have achieved.

It should have targeted fans that don’t normally go to watch live rugby and encourage them to go more often with a good family experience. As it stands they have lost fans and it further adds to the sorry state of regional rugby.

Although much of the rugby was of a very high standard and there were some outstanding performances, it was a shame that a full house was not there to witness it.