Casters Surrender Home Advantage

Munster are playing Castres this weekend but not in their own stadium, rather they have moved to Toulouse's Stade Ernest Wallon. Toulouse are in Galway this weekend so the stadium is free. However the response from their fans has been negative.

According to reports only 10,000 tickets have been sold for Saturday's game at the 18,000+ capacity Stade Ernest-Wallon with Castres supporters seemingly unwilling to support the initiative.

Home advantage is such a big issue, are they handing an lifeline to Munster?

What is the reason for them changing stadium Stag?

Capacity and money Pete. Castres stadium holds 11,500. Toulouse's holds 19,500. They can bring in another 8,000 punters.

However it has backfired by all accounts.

If it solely about extra bums on seats and the revenue that brings then I think it is a very poor decision indeed. The would be better having a packed ot the rafters stadium with 11,500 than a two thrids full one with 12,500.

I can see a Munster win in this one to be honest.

I think it’s safe to say that the further you move the more diluted your home support is going to be.

Connacht are dead right not to move their match to TP, Castres are mad to move it to Toulouse.
Quins would be ok moving a match to Twickenham, Leinster to Lansdowne etc. but much further and you lose the essence of home advantage, familiarity.

I suspect they expected a capacity stadium Ozzy. Its only about 90 minutes drive.

It would be like Connacht paying Toulouse in Thomond Park.

At least it's still in France, not South bleeding Africa!

Mickado, when were Connacht dead right not to move a match to TP? The only time I heard it touted was when they played Toulon two years ago. The Sportsground has been renovated specifically for the HEC this year.

Moving isn't all that bad, I guess. But moving it to your closest rivals stadium?

It'd be like wearing someone elses underwear!

It's always a risk though when you move stadiums Stag, and one that in this case I really don't se that it was worth taking.

It's like when we played Leinster at Twickenham a couple of years ago. We got about 30 thousand at Twickenham which was less than half full, and I would say it was almost a 50/50 split of fans.

Had we stayed at the MadStad we would have sold the game out at 24,000 and the split would have been more in our favour with STH's and members given first dibs on the ticket allocation. Obviously that one was out of our hands as we had to move due to a potential clash with Reading inthe FA Cup, which ultimately didn't happen.

There would have been much more atmosphere in a full stadium and it would have increased our chances of winning in my opinion.

greybeard wrote:At least it's still in France, not South bleeding Africa!

Mickado, when were Connacht dead right not to move a match to TP? The only time I heard it touted was when they played Toulon two years ago. The Sportsground has been renovated specifically for the HEC this year.

Grey, I’m not saying that it was ever on the cards this time around. I do remember there was talk of it for the Toulon match.
Either way, they’re making the right decision to stay put.

greybeard wrote:Moving isn't all that bad, I guess. But moving it to your closest rivals stadium?

It'd be like wearing someone elses underwear!

Its not the moving to Toulouse that is pissing the fans off, its the fact that its being moved at all. It means an hour and a half in the car to the match instead of being able to walk from your house to the match. Instead of being able to go to the pub and have a few pints before and after the game they can't because they have to drive instead.

I'm delighted as I don't have to drive to the match and have a 20minute walk to it but I'd be rightly peed off if I was a Castres fan.

greybeard wrote:At least it's still in France, not South bleeding Africa!

Mickado, when were Connacht dead right not to move a match to TP? The only time I heard it touted was when they played Toulon two years ago. The Sportsground has been renovated specifically for the HEC this year.

Greybeard what's wrong with South Africa? I am confident Saracens can fill one of the Capetown stadiums with at least 40,000. We are afterall told so many times how South African a club we are.

We have moved to Wembley a few times. Nothing wrong with that.

Moving to a rival's stadium is different though.

Though saying that I wouldn't mind playing a Saracens home game at Franklins Gardens (a proper rugby stadium).

Certainly better than Vicarage Road!

I think Castres are making a poor decision here.

Beshocked, I just think it's unfair on the fan that misses out on a HEC home match, and on away fans who look forward to a HEC weekend away in London. Moving a match a few hours away isn't a killer, but an entire hemisphere is taking the pish.

I know Saracens are getting a lot of undeserved stick elsewhere (and you, personally, as well, Mr Haw Haw ), so I won't go on about it.

Are we playing Casters at the weekend? I hope the wheels dont come off.

greybeard I am also of course disappointed but as I like to think we'll get a home quarter final so it will make up for the home game lost.

Watford is definitely not London! Don't get them mixed up!

We are getting a little stick we deserve though. I attract criticism almost as much as Saracens do. Certainly Portnoy isn't a big fan. I think he's like Lord Kitchener.

Our away record is good enough to get away with no home advantage. Not sure Castres is in the same boat.

Only 90 minutes drive??? Can you imagine that in Wales!

The Dragons have had a bad old time of it in recent years with the weather. Two years running we've had to move Heineken Cup games to other region's grounds as our pitch has been unplayable. Once was to the Scarlets' ground v Biarritz (about 1 hour drive), the other to the Blues' v Wasps I think (about 20 minutes drive). Safe to say that the travelling support was very poor. And this was forced on the Dragons by the weather, and it was a bit last minute. If we didn't move we'd get fined heavily for calling a game off and would have to pay for the travelling team's flights and hotels for the re-match.

Anyway, in Wales this doesn;t work and the distances are short. It looks like the same in France, but I'm actually impressed that they've managed to get 10,000.

IMO choosing to do it (rather than being forced) will not go down well with supporters, if Dragons' experience is anything to go by.

Griff wrote:Only 90 minutes drive??? Can you imagine that in Wales!

Thats exactly the time it takes me to get to Ravers for every game. It's one game FFS, stop the whinging.

I'd imagine that the team have also annoyed every local business in Castres. Hungry & thirsty Munster fans are going to be dropping their yo-yos in Toulouse instead. Madness on so many levels, imho.

roddersm wrote:

Griff wrote:Only 90 minutes drive??? Can you imagine that in Wales!

Thats exactly the time it takes me to get to Ravers for every game. It's one game FFS, stop the whinging.

There is a difference between going to Ravenhill all the time and it being moved for a big game. As has been mentioned it hurts the local economy, people can't drink if they want to drive, it allows for a more balanced crowd instead of it being mainly home fans. It was a poor decision, I'm not complaining because its much easier for me to go to the match but you can understand why the castres fans aren't happy.

Rodders, what's your problem? Seriously. That was a light hearted statement from me about how up in arms people here (Wales) would be. Hence the exclamation marks . It is ridiculous here in Wales how we don't travel short distances. That's a fact. That's hardly me 'whinging' though.

Why pick a fight for no reason? Time of the month? Pathetic.

Rodders the Connacht v Toulouse match is a good analogy. Galway residents would have been up in arms if the Connacht branch decided to move the game 90 minutes away to Limerick which has a much larger stadium double in size.

Val in principal yes it is different but the logistics are the same. Many people have to to travel these sorts of distances to see their home side play on a regular basis.

I can understand it's a pain in the backside for the Castres fans but it isn't the end of the world.

Think of us poor Corkonians having to drive all the way to Limerick every other weekend....

And vice versa MMC

To answer the original question Stag, I definitely think this hands Munster a helping hand. Maybe not an advantage, but definitely more of a level playing field. They (you) must be delighted!

I can see that from a purely bums on seats perspective a full house elsewhere would be better. However, club rugby is all about the community, the local economy, local businesses, etc. gaining from hosting a sporting event. As already mentioned, this looks like bringing a similar return for the club as they would have at home, but with the added disadvantage of lining the pockets of another town and its businesses 90 minutes away. That is why it will not be popular across the board, not just with the rugby fans. Strange decision IMO.

MMC wrote:Think of us poor Corkonians having to drive all the way to Limerick every other weekend....

Not to mention the inoculations, paying for the translator, medical insurance....

red_stag wrote:Munster are playing Castres this weekend but not in their own stadium, rather they have moved to Toulouse's Stade Ernest Wallon. Toulouse are in Galway this weekend so the stadium is free. However the response from their fans has been negative.

According to reports only 10,000 tickets have been sold for Saturday's game at the 18,000+ capacity Stade Ernest-Wallon with Castres supporters seemingly unwilling to support the initiative.

Home advantage is such a big issue, are they handing an lifeline to Munster?

10000 is about what their stadium Pierre-Antoine can fit anyway so suggest that usual castres supporters are following , Castres bet is to attract more supporters than usual to suit the event as for them receiving Munster is the equivalent of receiving the real madrid in football (and I'm quoting one the coaches laurent travers here!).

whocares wrote:

red_stag wrote:Munster are playing Castres this weekend but not in their own stadium, rather they have moved to Toulouse's Stade Ernest Wallon. Toulouse are in Galway this weekend so the stadium is free. However the response from their fans has been negative.

According to reports only 10,000 tickets have been sold for Saturday's game at the 18,000+ capacity Stade Ernest-Wallon with Castres supporters seemingly unwilling to support the initiative.

Home advantage is such a big issue, are they handing an lifeline to Munster?

10000 is about what their stadium Pierre-Antoine can fit anyway so suggest that usual castres supporters are following , Castres bet is to attract more supporters than usual to suit the event as for them receiving Munster is the equivalent of receiving the real madrid in football (and I'm quoting one the coaches laurent travers here!).

I think they were expecting a large travelling support from munster. A good amount of the fans at the match will be Toulouse fans, and people like me, who just want to watch some top class rugby but aren't fans of either team.

Why would you Castres side home advantage? It would be like Castres ating yourself.

We need all the help we can get.

I believe we have to win this game as by the time Saints play Castres they will probably be out . They will field a weakened team which should make for an easy win for saints.

We need to be going into the last game with 5 from 5 (a huge ask yes)