Bullrush
Geoff Shaw (53)
I think Ali's Choice mentioned a while back that the crowds never recovered after Henry rested the ABs before RWC2007. People stopped going as they weren't going to watch 2nd string outfits, meanwhile discovering that sitting in the warmth with no lines for brews was better and they simply got out of the habit of going to the rugby.
The only place where the 2007 resting of ABs may be a factor is in Canterbury where there are plenty of pro-Deans/anti-Henry fans. They have such a good team though and they are as parochial as hell so I doubt it. People were choosing warm lounges and bars and short beer lines long before 2007.
Eden Park will always struggle unless it's a massive game or the Blues are dominant because it's a bitch of a place to get to and find close parking. Then there's the cold and/or rain. And then there's the ridiculous prices.
Make the tickets cheaper (and the food and drinks as well) and play in the afternoon and you'll get more people along.
I remember thinking at the time that they won the RWC hosting, that this would be NZ's last chance to host it by themselves. The tournament would just get to big for their population and economy.
Crowds have been down all year - the conference system not working for NZers?
When NZ made the bid and won the hosting rights, the NZRFU pretty much said that this would probably be the last time that we could hold the tournament alone.
It's simply too expensive.