Rugby: Crowds up for two-win Blues

The Blues have seen 12 percent increase in crowds this season. Photo / Getty Images

They may have only won one game at Eden Park but attendance figures released by the New Zealand Rugby Union show crowd numbers are up for the struggling Blues.

The figures show strong double digit increases on last year for all five New Zealand franchises after 12 rounds of Super 15 with the Chiefs and Highlanders enjoying the largest increase in crowds.

Average crowds are up about 37 per cent on 2011 while 1.9 million more people have tuned in to watch Super 15 so far this year, compared with the same period 2011.

The Chiefs, who sit on top of the New Zealand conference, have seen a 97 percent increase in attendance from their six home matches at Waikato Stadium, Bay Park Stadium and ECOLight Stadium Pukekohe. The Chiefs lost just one of those matches, a round one defeat to the Highlanders.

The new Forsyth Barr Stadium has helped attract 70 percent more fans to Highlanders' home games after a shift from the old Carisbrook ground last year. The Hurricanes (40 percent), Crusaders (13 percent) and Blues (12 percent) have also seen increases in crowds.

The Blues meanwhile have seen the largest increase in TV viewership despite recording only their second win of the season last Friday. The Auckland-based franchise has seen a 50 percent increase in TV viewership across their 11 matches to date.

NZRU General Manager Professional Rugby Neil Sorensen was delighted with the figures.

"There's no doubt that New Zealanders are loving rugby at the moment and we believe this is one of the spin-offs of hosting and winning a fantastic Rugby World Cup last year," Sorensen said.

"While poor form has been an issue for the Blues, their gate attendance remains above 2011 levels with the highest average crowd figures across the country to date. The Blues increased season membership gave them an ideal start to the season and television audiences for Blues games are up 50 per cent on last year," he said.

The Blues' biggest crowd this year is the 32,000 who turned up to watch the opening round clash against the Crusaders, while only 12,000 attended their round 10 clash against the Reds.

Broadcast and game attendance at a glance:

Average at game (2012 v 2011)
Blues +12%
Chiefs +97%
Hurricanes +40%
Crusaders +13%
Highlanders +70%
Overall + 37%

TV viewership (2012 v 2011)
Blues +50%
Chiefs +19%
Hurricanes +47%
Crusaders +18%
Highlanders +33%
Overall +33%

- HERALD ONLINE