THE NSW rugby public's reluctance to travel to Homebush Bay to attend Tests other than Bledisloe Cup fixtures is unlikely to change for the first Australia-France international tonight.
Ticket sales for the France Test have been lukewarm, and the attendance is expected to struggle to get near the 50,000 mark. This again highlights the decline in attendances at Homebush Bay for non-Bledisloe Cup Tests since 2000. During that period, attendances for Tests against South Africa have dropped from 77,048 in 2000 to 51,174 last year, and Tests against Wales have experienced a slump from 63,688 in 2003 to 40,827 last year. The France Test is also scheduled to lure considerably fewer than the 64,703 attendance for their previous Sydney match in 2002, which the Wallabies won 31-25.
There are many reasons for this considerable drop, including the form fluctuations that Australian rugby has experienced since its 1999 World Cup triumph, while several Sydney Tests have been sadly lacking in the entertainment department. Memories of the dreadful 2006 Australia v South African Tri Nations match, which attracted just over 60,000, still linger, with many that night vowing they would never return and pay top dollar to watch such negative football from the home team. Some rated the first half that night as the worst 40 minutes of Test football they had seen.
The Australian Rugby Union is also aware sections of the Sydney rugby fraternity avoid the venue because they won't travel to Homebush Bay, as it is too far away from the Sydney rugby heartland and parking is inconvenient. Travelling there will be even more difficult tonight, with buses replacing trains on the North Shore line because of weekend upgrading work.
The ARU is hoping that the public will be enticed by a bit of French mystery and the Wallabies continuing on their path from being a rigid, structured team to a more enterprising line-up, relying on their instincts. Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock made the right noises yesterday when he argued the players wanted to excite the home crowds.
"The by-product of playing what's in front of you is hopefully a more entertaining style that everyone is keen to watch," Mortlock said.
That is encouraging, but a capacity Homebush Bay crowd tonight remains highly unlikely.
