European Cup News: It seems you have to believe what the European Rugby Cup Ltd (ERC) is telling you these days. The feel-good vibe emanating from the competition and the importance the players place on it are being backed up by public demand to watch the matches live. The evidence is in the number of people coming through the gates.
It is almost 10 years since Toulouse lifted the inaugural trophy, and since then the crowds have been getting progressively bigger. Last weekend, the 109,424 fans who paid through the turnstiles to support the 12 pool stage games broke the round one record by over 13,000. Only round six of last season's pool stages attracted a bigger crowd when 117,210 turned out to watch how seven of the quarter-final places would be determined.
Compared to 1995, when 20,200 spectators watched the four first round matches, or last season, when there were 28,000 fewer fans for the 12 opening matches, last weekend's figures have given the organisers and teams something to shout about, with five of the bigger teams in the competition: Leicester Tigers, Munster, Stade Francais Paris, Perpignan and Bath Rugby, all attracting five-figure crowds. Munster's continual dilemma is how to distribute tickets among a fan base which regularly far exceeds the capacity of Thomond Park.
"It was a great kick-off," said ERC communications and commercial manager Diarmuid Murphy. "For us the figures are a very significant factor. Last year we showed a 20 per cent growth in the pool stages. That represented about 100,000 people.
"I've also no doubt that had the weather been better at the weekend we would have exceeded those figures. I was in Glasgow and there were less than 3,000 people at the game, while Llanelli was low as well by their standards. There were less than 8,000 people watching against a big side like Toulouse.
"But this is the first time we launched the tournament in five cities. The comparisons being made and the way the tournament is being spoken about now makes it one of the best in the world."
On the field, Munster's John Kelly became the sixth player to join the ERC elite awards club for 50 European Cup appearances when he helped coach Alan Gaffney and his team-mates to a 15-9 victory over NEC Harlequins in Limerick.
Leinster's Shane Byrne and Christian Labit from Toulouse are set to join Kelly, assuming they are selected for their respective team's second pool games at the weekend, when Leinster face Bath and Toulouse meet Glasgow Rugby.
Murphy is also optimistic about Leinster's pulling power in Lansdowne Road.
"I would imagine that 24,000 against Bath is a realistic figure. Both are big teams and both have won their first round games," he said.
David Humphreys was also rewarded with a milestone following his solo effort for Ulster in their win over Cardiff Blues last weekend. The Irish outhalf became the sixth player to break the 400 points barrier after kicking all of his side's 21 points.
ROUND ONE ATTENDANCES
1995/1996 ... 20,200 ... 4 matches
1996/1996 ... 29,700 ... 8 matches
1997/1998 ... 53,682 ... 10 matches
1998/1999 ... 33,500 ... 8 matches
1999/2000 ... 72,136 ... 12 matches
2000/2001 ... 95,966 ... 12 matches
2001/2002 ... 81,584 ... 12 matches
2002/2003 ... 76,765 ... 12 matches
2000/2004 ... 81,825 ... 12 matches
2004/2005 ... 109,424 ... 12 matches
