I think there has been a big change in culture in RL in the last decade. You used to get second or third generation Rugby League fans who had been brought up watching Rugby League and defied themselves by love of the game and its gladiatorial principles. Most enjoyed watching the game even if your own team was not playing. RL was a culture.

These days the game is seen much more as a leisure activity, in the same vein as watching a movie. Many people have a team they support, buy a season ticket and watch games as often as possible but have no interest in watching games as a neutral.

The scheduling of the cup doesn't help. Inconsistent gaps between rounds that are completely bizarre. We've gone from 3 games in just over a month, to the last 2 taking 3 months between them.

Cup rounds on the last weekend of every month from April-August would work well and keep the pacing up.

Whilst going as neutrals at the CC final is still a tradition for many it did feel like there weren't as many last year as there were at the start of the two finals era when I first went - the franchise era has seen another step away from the Rugby League community and more one club mentality

And it didn't involve fans from Hull? Surey not!

Needs a HFC v HKR semi to show the nation a proper RL crowd!

So nothing happened then

Great story

Working undercover obviously

I agree or a final again with the same winners ie hull kr that would

Must have been a big deal. Posted it on 3 boards.

Leeds fans are the scum of the earth.

Warrington and huddersfield fans will show these big boys what a crowd is today

I thought it looked and sounded great on tv. Colourful, noisy, passionate.

I went punting in Cambridge once. Some youths shouted abuse at me from a beer garden.

Because they're sad NRL fanboys.

How are ticket sales going for the Derby next week?

That is about the most sensible thing posted for a long time. Whilst most of us on here are nuts about the game there are just not enough of us. Man U can get more people through the gates for an average league game that the whole of our competition can get for a full round in three divisions.

Defence?

Sounds like you deserved it though.

To say it was only 12k, the atmosphere was brilliant. If only it was full...

That's true, but agreeing to 'just accept it' totally lets off the hook the people who run the game. Which, for the record, is of course a lot more people than just the RFL.

I don't expect us to compete with football, the NRL, or even Union, but we should be striving to be the best we can. "its the fans fault", or "its just not popular" are totally defeatist comments that effectively say the game is being run as well as possible, and this is as good as it can ever get. Total horse-poop, which lets the lazy and incompetent get away with doing bad jobs.

The Wigan end packed with fans in cherry and white looked excellent. Cant see the negatives at all.

Should have a deal where children under the age of 15 go free there the new generation and should be targeted. This day and age everyone loves an offer!
Or give free tickets to local schools and force the parents to take them for a day out.

Yes it did. But then again there were only spectators in the 3 stands that the cameras could see. They were positioned in the big empty one. There will probably be more atmosphere at the semi today even if with fewer fans, simply because the ground will be busy on all 4 sides.

I don't just accept it but dont balme the RFL they run a cup competition with over a 100 years history & nobody turns up, what are they to do? They spread the game out of the North & everyone starts complaining, What are they to do?
We have a great game from under 8's up to super league but even in the North no one is bothered to come & watch why is that the RFL's fault? Clubs give discounted tickets others moan, they dont give discounts people say its to expensive.
I love this game its players & supporters with a passion, I will watch it on the locall park or travel Australia for a game but it won't alter the fact that the vast majority of the population don't care & won't turn out to support it, that means that sponsors won't put in cash which inturn means that the game struggles to survive The RFL just play with the cards they are delt.

Part of the problem I think is that the last few years it's so often been the same few teams contesting the semis and it's just become so stale. Wire (credit to them) have been a breath of fresh air in the semis and final because the fans (by their numbers alone) are clearly so passionate and enthusiastic for it. With Leeds in particular it just seems to mean little to them these days. For them to only take 6000 to a semi-final is appauling for a club of their size. As someone said yesterday, they had the majority of a 17,000 crowd there just 7 years ago, where were those 10,000 yesterday?
This is going to sound very biased, but if the two Hull clubs could really step up over the next few years and become established top-6 sides (a tall order especially for Rovers but it's possible), both of our inclusion in semis would be great for the competition. Hull alone would take 3x what Hudds have today for their semi, and I'm certain we'd take at least 8000 to the first one we get to as an SL side (we took 6000 in 2006 as an NL1 side FFS!).
For the time-being though with the likes of Leeds and Hudds in so many semis it's just become very boring.

Not for us it ain't

. The support from the leeds fans that went yesterday was outstanding, a constant noise that no doubt gave our lads that extra bit of strength when needed. The numbers we took were very disappointing though, as was Wigans support, and it frustrates me that fans don't bother for a game of that importance. The Leeds fans that travelled got their reward and that's the most important thing.