Rugby as a spectator sport is sadly in a fairly large decline. Super Rugby has long been criticised for lack luster crowds and support particularly in South Africa and Australia. This also extends up north with the European sides. At the beginning of December 2019, Greg Robson-Cainu, a fellow blogger, published a post entitled, “How Welsh Rugby Can Emulate the Football and Get its Atmosphere back”. Striking title it is, I had certainly never even dreamt of using football and rugby in the same sentence, let alone football helping rugby build a bridge to their fans.
The author provided great context to his frustration in which he expressed through short anecdotes in the first third of his published work. This, I thought was very effective as the title bleeds negative connotations and now the blood is clearly shown. All readers, informed or uninformed on the topical focus, gain a greater understanding of what is wrong with the Welsh Rugby support system.
In order to explain the philosophy behind how football support can aid rugby the author takes the reader through comparisons where he refers to the support of Cardiff City football club as, “in another stratosphere” to the Welsh national rugby team’s support. The point is made as clear as day to all and I believe the use of hyperbole is very effective.
Another notable aspect of the post is the structure, there three different categories which the piece is divided into; Calon, Noisy and Singing Section. Breaking down the problem is often central to finding a solution and it is through this that each of these sections intertwine to find their solution.
The Calon section introduces aspects of Welsh culture, which is hugely important when discussing sport particularly within an international context. The players and fans are representing their country both on the field and in the stands, where there is more freedom to showcase culture. It is the unique songs and/or chants that make sport so special. It is greater than just a sports match. The author proves this when there is reference to, “Calon Lan ” which is a song believed to have been made famous by Welsh rugby fans. Football is brought into the mix when comparing the vast array of song and chants to the few of rugby. This is an important aspect as it ensures that the topical focus is kept.
The Noisy section of the article is almost solely focussed on how loud the Canton Stand in the Cardiff City stadium is in an overtly boisterous way. This experience is described to simply set the standard, this is what rugby fans should do. They should embrace the ‘gees’ as South Africans say. Take that spirit and shout it, create a buzz to get behind the team and in turn, hopefully, extract the best possible performances from them.
The singing section is actually designed by the author to be the solution or bridge to take rugby support from lack luster, closer to the standards set by teams such as Cardiff City. A dedicated singing stand is the main solution offered. The piece goes through an exploration through which stand would be most effective for the specific role of ‘singing stand’. I feel like offering such a complete solution for the problem at hand is really effective in the final section, the author collects his points well.
The biggest reason this article holds so much weight is because it is written by a fan about fans for fans. It is all good and well to constantly hear the experts but in this case most fans can relate and would push movements such as this. It is very similar to Running Rugby in this aspect, written by fans in such a way that allows the reader a perspective closer to their own views.
On a whole it was a thought provoking piece. It makes one wonder why there is practically no culture of singing/chanting in the Southern Hemisphere? If one considers the spread of Rugby World Cups the Southern Hemisphere leads eight wins to a lone win by the Northern Hemisphere. So then if the standard is so high then why is there no historical culture within the fan bases? Super Rugby is 25 years old this year and attendance is pretty much the worst ever. Why do the franchises that fill up such a powerful tournament not spend time, effort or money on their fan bases? Develop chants, war cries or whatever you choose to call it. It is surely time to grow a fan culture in order to rescue some of the world’s best from empty stadiums. They deserve to feel the ground shake, the fans deserve to give themselves that experience. It is pretty much a desperate request from me, lets fill the empty seats and blow the roof into the sky.
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