I suppose intimate settings and cheap tickets isn't exactly a recipe for a financially viable game though, sadly.
And here we come to the great rugby dilemma, where the business of sport clashes with the people that want to watch it, and the places they want to go.
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As someone who spent plenty of time going to Leichhardt Oval in my youth, while I love it as a venue I wouldn't say that it was where I would put a rugby fixture. Hard to get to either driving or public transport I used to get the ferry and the 440 bus - but there aren't even bus stands at East Circular Quay anymore, just restaurants) and not really in a traditional rugby stronghold. I was a little surprised they held it there, but I'm pleased that plenty of supporters turned up.
This is in no way meant as a criticism of those who selected the venue, I realise that it was put on at short notice and the choice of venue would have been limited.
What I take out of it is that Australians want to watch Australian teams playing. But, I don't base this view on this game alone, I base it on what happens across the Australian sporting landscape. It's just what Australians want with their sport and if people spent less time finding reasons why it can't happen and more time on finding a way that it can happen, it would be a reality.
And I'd add, that games don't need to draw 30 or 40 thousand to domestic Australian games to make it vialble - the average Aviva Premiership crowd is 13,000 (and rising) while the average Top crowd id 12,000 (and falling). Most of these games are played at smaller stadia - like Concord Oval for example.
https://www.rugbyworld.com/news/wit...e-top-14-is-starting-to-lose-its-lustre-75990
Who'd have thought a decade ago that we'd have a professional national netball league in Australia, which not only draws good crowds to games but is live on FTA every week?
If rugby can't do it, then the game has no future in this country.
