URC sets new attendance records as competition continues to grow

The 2018 record of 121 177 was beaten this past weekend as 123 307 fans witnessed URC action live across both hemispheres.

The Sharks derby against the Bulls and the 1872 Cup clash between Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors drew in the biggest crowds, with 25 000 supporters packing into Kings Park and Murrayfield, respectively.

While Durban and Edinburgh posted season-high attendances, the same was true for Belfast, Cardiff, Dublin and Parma, as supporters flocked to see their stars in action in the derby matches.

17 560 fans saw Leinster defeat Connacht, 16 672 witnessed a gruelling encounter between Ulster and Munster in Belfast, while 15 001 Capetoins watched the Stormers trounce the Lions.

The festive season fixtures proved wildly popular as nearly a quarter of a million fans attended derby games over Christmas and New Year. The 16 matches produced three sell-outs and nine season-high attendances.

The average attendance over the 16 games was 12 500, with South Africa producing the highest attendance by country, with 95 538 attending the four South African derby matches in Cape Town and Durban.

Ireland produced the next-best tally as 65 873 supporters visited Belfast, Dublin, Galway and Limerick, while there were two sell-outs in Wales and a season-high attendance (Ospreys) across Cardiff, Llanelli, Newport and Swansea, totalling 40 753 attendees.

United Rugby Championship (URC) CEO Martin Anayi praised the work done by the clubs to break the attendance record and grow the game.

"To break the overall attendance record for a single round in the league's history is yet another boost for the BKT United Rugby Championship. This comes just a week after the Christmas attendance was broken and again shows the superb work our clubs are doing to grow the game," Anayi said.

"To put this achievement in context, the previous record included a 62,000 crowd from Judgement Day in Cardiff in 2018, so to break it without hosting a major double-header is fantastic. There was barely a spare seat in Ireland, the Cardiff Arms Park in Wales was full, Edinburgh did a terrific job to get so many into BT Murrayfield for the 1872 Cup game, while Zebre also had their biggest crowd of the season.

Anayi added that the number of fans packing into stadiums was humbling, considering the economic climate.

"In South Africa, the concept of playing over Christmas and New Year was very new to their market, but fans have embraced 'summer rugby' with almost 100,000 attending over two weekends. Right now, fans will have lots of demands on how they spend their money and to see so many choosing to buy tickets to support their teams in the BKT URC is humbling."