Club Vs Provence

Mauler · Post by **Mauler** » April 26th, 2006, 12:05 pm

Now that the dust is beginning to settle and our emotions have calmed down a little. I think we need an inquest into where our support disappeared to. Last year we sold out Lansdowne Road against the Tigers. They brought over somewhere between five and ten thousand, thus leaving some forty thousand Leinster fans. Likewise, three seasons ago, we sold out Lansdowne two times in a month. OK not the most vocal of fans, but they showed up. This year we took 2,000 to Bath and then 6,000 to Toulouse. Where were they on Sunday???

When I walked to the ground at sometime between 1.30 and 1.45 there was a sea of red going up Lansdowne Road, with only a hand full of blue jerseys. I can understand mixing on the East Terrace as thankfully there is no segregation of fans in our sport.

But when I went into the stadium itself I could not believe how there were so many red jerseys on the North Terrace. I thought this was supposed to be ONLY for Leinster supporters. In so far as the majority of the 21,000 tickets that the ERC had allocated to Leinster were in this area.

I think the clubs have a lot to answer for. It seems to me that they see Leinster Rugby (the professional team) as being their rival, taking away fans, resources, sponsorship and ultimately their star players. They have to realize that if they co-operate with the professional team and fully support it, it will only benefit them. Our sport is growing in the numbers of people watching it, the coverage in the Media and even in the purchasing of jerseys and merchandise. However, there are fewer members of clubs than at any time previously. Perhaps the clubs should ask themselves what are they doing wrong? As can be seen from the thread from the Dublin GAA supporters posted yesterday, the traditional rugby clubs in Dublin have lead to a (mis) perception amongst the vast majority of people in Leinster that our team is an irrelevance and does not represent them. Yes club rugby has its place, it should be to get people involved in the game, grow the sport and develop players for the professional teams. Not to sabotage the growth of the professional side.

Uncle Mort · Post by **Uncle Mort** » April 26th, 2006, 12:17 pm

I agree with a lot of what you say here Mauler.

The clubs let the branch down big style at the weekend - I have to presume that the Munster fans who had Leinster tickets got them from the clubs. However, it could be argued that everyone who is a member of a Club is entritled to a ticket and so all the clubs did was supplied tickets to their members.

This then takes it one step further back to the branch. It is now the responsibility of the branch to stop our tickets getting into the hands of the opposition. This did not happen on Sunday. The branch have to recognise the Leinster Brand and the Leisnter club and that the support for the Leinster Club is what is important. Members of clubs who want tickets will be able to get hold of them by being Leinster fans - it no longer seems tenable to me to have it the other way around. Leinster Club is no longer Leinster Branch and this was clearly demonstrated on Sunday.

It is important that the supporters of Leinster Club get the first choice of tickets as they are the ones who count. There is now a distinction between being a supporter of rugby and a member of a club and being a supporter of Leinster Rugby - which after all IS our club.

There will always be those that say that the clubs should get a supply of tickets but the branch will not grow its support as long as tickets for the Leisnter Supporters are seen to go to the hands of the opposition by this route.

Malahide Mullet · Post by **Malahide Mullet** » April 26th, 2006, 12:21 pm

Lads as I have shamed further down many of our hardcore fans sold south I think

KTF and CM11 were not the only ones

Post by **Avenger** » April 26th, 2006, 12:21 pm

Well the branch was making threats about 6 Nations ticket allocations not going to clubs that sold Leinster tickets to Munster. Personally I don't see how they can follow through with this threat but I for one would love to see it happen as I am not a member of a club and cannot get 6 Nations tickets.

Maybe the branch will start giving some tickets to its supporters club?

sewa · Post by **sewa** » April 26th, 2006, 12:22 pm

But didnt all Leinster supporters club members get a load of tickets. A lot of those ended up in munster hands too.

Post by **Avenger** » April 26th, 2006, 12:24 pm

That's true apparently. I got 4 from the supporters club and 2 at the Llanelli match. All went to Leinster fans.
I have friends who are Munster fans but I wouldn't have got them tickets. They are more than capable of getting their own tickets.

stalkerno2 · Post by **stalkerno2** » April 26th, 2006, 12:28 pm

Ok i agree with you as well. I was in the North stand and to be honest not making excuses but there was some Leinster suppoters beside me in Lions (RED) jerseys! How stupid can you get?

Duff Paddy · Post by **Duff Paddy** » April 26th, 2006, 12:29 pm

sewa wrote:But didnt all Leinster supporters club members get a load of tickets. A lot of those ended up in munster hands too.

A few of them undoubtedly did but I think that the majority of Leinster tickets that ended up supporting Munster were distributed through the Leinster clubs. I know that my club would have more Munster supporters than Leinster - mostly Lunsters and a couple of Munstermen working in Dublin.

sheepshagger · Post by **sheepshagger** » April 26th, 2006, 12:30 pm

I agree Mauler - something needs to be done but I suspect it will simply be brused under the carpet.

Sewa - I got 4 tickets from the Supporters Club. . I had Munster people asking for them, which I all turned down. . some of whom thought I was being petty about the whole thing.

I work with a guy who sold his leinster allocation to Munster fans. . .when I asked why he simply said 'because they want to go to the game' - he only sold them for face value so he saw no problemw ith it. I just can not understand why people cant see the wrong in that.

sewa · Post by **sewa** » April 26th, 2006, 12:38 pm

stalkerno2 wrote:Ok i agree with you as well. I was in the North stand and to be honest not making excuses but there was some Leinster suppoters beside me in Lions (RED) jerseys! How stupid can you get?

Class.

RugbyBug · Post by **RugbyBug** » April 26th, 2006, 12:57 pm

That said, i would prefer leinster fans wearing lions jerseys to the leinster lady in front of me in the north terrace, who sat down 20 mins into the match and started to read the times, cover to cover. Felt like standing on her head.

dingbat · Post by **dingbat** » April 26th, 2006, 1:05 pm

sheepshagger wrote:I agree Mauler - something needs to be done but I suspect it will simply be brused under the carpet.

Sewa - I got 4 tickets from the Supporters Club. . I had Munster people asking for them, which I all turned down. . some of whom thought I was being petty about the whole thing.

I work with a guy who sold his leinster allocation to Munster fans. . .when I asked why he simply said 'because they want to go to the game' - he only sold them for face value so he saw no problemw ith it. I just can not understand why people cant see the wrong in that.

I, for one, applaud your pettiness!

Flash Gordon · Post by **Flash Gordon** » April 26th, 2006, 1:06 pm

Agree, we need to learn on and off the pitch. As Mort says, Leinster is our club, the Leinster clubs shouldn't come into the equation. But we also need to learn how to support Leinster.

1. Wear the colours - action: if your mates show up in sweaters etc slag them

2. Own parts of the stadium - action: get in early, don't wander into the ground 15 minutes before or sit on the back pitches drinking beer - there's time for that later

3. Banners/flag - action: we should work with sponsors to continue the great work Robbie is doing

4. Move to the stand - action: I love the terrace, but for games like Sunday, the Bodhran players/drummers need to be in the stand. It was almost impossible for me to get space to hit the fockin thing

5. Sing - action: we need cheerleaders on the terrace. We are getting better at this, more of the same.

Any other thoughts?

rex banner · Post by **rex banner** » April 26th, 2006, 1:08 pm

RugbyBug wrote:That said, i would prefer leinster fans wearing lions jerseys to the leinster lady in front of me in the north terrace, who sat down 20 mins into the match and started to read the times, cover to cover. Felt like standing on her head.

Oh my God what a waste of a good ticket.
You should have got a picture of her with your phone and posted it up so she may be identified and arrested for Heracy.

sexy_rexy · Post by **sexy_rexy** » April 26th, 2006, 1:09 pm

RugbyBug wrote:That said, i would prefer leinster fans wearing lions jerseys to the leinster lady in front of me in the north terrace, who sat down 20 mins into the match and started to read the times, cover to cover. Felt like standing on her head.

It makes me sick to think that people go along, just for the atmosphere/big-day-out when there are decent hard working supporters who have to beg, steal and borrow to get tickets, and others that didn't. Maybe this is the argument we should be having, not the Munster fans are all heart, yet eat turnips, while Leinster fans have lots of money and look nice in dresses. I lost my voice about 5 mins before half time but I still kept screaming and shout, even when no sound was coming out.

Looking back I think Sunday was good for us. We need times like this to make the big victories even sweeter. It is why we follow a sporting team season after season and not just when they win. Every team has low times, it doesn't make the decent supporters leave and go follow another sport/team.

Here endith the lesson.

harryp · Post by **harryp** » April 26th, 2006, 1:10 pm

RugbyBug wrote:That said, i would prefer leinster fans wearing lions jerseys to the leinster lady in front of me in the north terrace, who sat down 20 mins into the match and started to read the times, cover to cover. Felt like standing on her head.

You probably should have.

Biggest problem I think is the "Clubs Officers". I have never believed that the Clubs is the way to go for tickets either Leinster or International. Its tickets for the boys, hence a cr@p atmosphere in LR, as fans can't get into International games.

Provincial Branches should issue as many tickets as possible through their supporters clubs, even International matches. If Leinster Rugby were to issue every supporters club member with 1 international ticket for every game, then the uptake in supporters club membership would be astounding, guaranteeing the Branch revenue, and increasing attendances at games! The stranglehold clubs have on tickets has to stop.

Unfortunately, you'll never stop fans? from selling on tickets, we all do it in some form or another, just who we sell them to is where the line has to be drawn!

Dave Cahill · Post by **Dave Cahill** » April 26th, 2006, 1:11 pm

Introduce a special edition jersey thats not blue or white. I know they are our current jersey colours but they don't stand out enough. Gold for European games, can be tied in with the Lions brand as it looks like thats making a return.

Flash Gordon · Post by **Flash Gordon** » April 26th, 2006, 1:13 pm

Dave Cahill wrote:Introduce a special edition jersey thats not blue or white. I know they are our current jersey colours but they don't stand out enough. Gold for European games, can be tied in with the Lions brand as it looks like thats making a return.

Is blue really a problem? If the whole stand was blue, wouldn't that stand out?

RugbyBug · Post by **RugbyBug** » April 26th, 2006, 1:14 pm

sexy_rexy wrote:
RugbyBug wrote:That said, i would prefer leinster fans wearing lions jerseys to the leinster lady in front of me in the north terrace, who sat down 20 mins into the match and started to read the times, cover to cover. Felt like standing on her head.
It makes me sick to think that people go along, just for the atmosphere/big-day-out when there are decent hard working supporters who have to beg, steal and borrow to get tickets, and others that didn't. Maybe this is the argument we should be having, not the Munster fans are all heart, yet eat turnips, while Leinster fans have lots of money and look nice in dresses. I lost my voice about 5 mins before half time but I still kept screaming and shout, even when no sound was coming out.

Looking back I think Sunday was good for us. We need times like this to make the big victories even sweeter. It is why we follow a sporting team season after season and not just when they win. Every team has low times, it doesn't make the decent supporters leave and go follow another sport/team.

Here endith the lesson.

Made me very annoyed as i hadnt been able to get a ticket for my brother, there were times this year especially at the scarlets and Ulster matches were we thought his head was going to explode he was shouting so much!

Dave Cahill · Post by **Dave Cahill** » April 26th, 2006, 1:15 pm

Flash Gordon wrote:
Dave Cahill wrote:Introduce a special edition jersey thats not blue or white. I know they are our current jersey colours but they don't stand out enough. Gold for European games, can be tied in with the Lions brand as it looks like thats making a return.
Is blue really a problem? If the whole stand was blue, wouldn't that stand out?

No, especially not in a stand and not the shade of blue we use. Even in Toulouse if you look and the game again, the colours don't stand out, what does is the fact that everyone is lepping around like a madser.