Rugby's improving profile

The Australian Rugby Union have been criticised for sacrificing some of the Wallabies' home advantage by taking the first two…

The Australian Rugby Union have been criticised for sacrificing some of the Wallabies' home advantage by taking the first two tests to firstly a cricket ground and then the home of Aussie Rules, as the ARU general secretary John O'Neill says: "Hey, our job is to spread the game here in Australia." The television viewing figures have been a further boon for the game's ever-improving profile. Audience figures for last Saturday's first test peaked at nearly two million, a mere 50,000 behind the comparative figure for last Sunday's State of Origin match, the decisive third in the series. The record for a rugby union match in Australia is 2.3 million for last year's Bledisloe Cup match between Australia and New Zealand, but O'Neill says: "I think we'll break that record on this tour."

Gerry Thornley

Gerry Thornley

Gerry Thornley is Rugby Correspondent of The Irish Times