Worrying trend in European Cup games

Fans have all been noticing the same thing about this season’s champions cup and its not a great look for European rugby.

The competition was once the jewel in the crown of the rugby season and fans can remember being more excited for European games than domestic ones.

Unfortunately, it seems as though the Champions Cup has somewhat lost its shine. At almost every game in the opening two weeks, there have been thousands of empty seats, and in some matches the stadiums have been less than half full.

🇿🇦 2019 Super Rugby

🦁 Lions vs Bulls 🐄 – 25,630
🦁 Lions vs Stormers ⛈ – 15,831

🇿🇦 2022 Challenge Cup

🦁 Lions vs Dragons 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 – 1,537
🦁 Lions vs Stade Francais 🇫🇷 – 2,115

This is genuinely nuts…

— RugbyInsideLine (@RugbyInsideLine) December 17, 2022

The reality of the problem is particularly true in South African where the upper tiers are pretty much empty and the stadiums are, at best, at 25% capacity.

So why has the popularity of the competition dipped. Firstly, rugby hasn’t helped itself.

Games have been organised which clash with football world cup knockout games and at night in the coldest month of the year – tickets in England have also reached a new high.

The competitions’ set up is also over complicated and not even the teams seem to know who they will play next and what is needed to qualify.

Here we go again…

Another empty stadium… pic.twitter.com/Vf7PrhgeMB

— RugbyInsideLine (@RugbyInsideLine) December 17, 2022

Moreover, high tackles and specifically head on head collisions are at the forefront of conversations and nobody seems to be sure what is a red or a yellow anymore.

It's a red card 🔴

Saracens are going to end a tense encounter in Lyon with 14 players as Alec Clarey is dimissed.#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/5rPRcm9giR

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) December 17, 2022

Many of the games largest voices has demanded that the competition has a complete overhaul and while this is happening in the future, it is not immediate.

One thing is for certain, rugby is in a dire need of a solution because if the Champions Cup is finding it hard to put bums on seats, what does that mean for the rest of the game.