The Irish Times asked readers to let us know their experiences of last Friday’s game against the All Blacks. Here’s what they said
An Ireland fan cheers on the team late in the game during the Autumn Nations Series match against New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho
Martin from Galway also criticised the “facile pageantry” of the prematch build-up, but he felt the issue wasn’t solved by the kick-off. “There was enough evidence to suggest that there were too many people there who got their tickets through corporate or private club affiliations ... The crowd had their moment or two, but all in all this game proved to be a bland experience punctuated by the constant non-stop lines of people going to or returning from the bar or the toilet.
“I have experienced a muted atmosphere against almost every other team except New Zealand up until this point. I am therefore really disappointed to say that the atmosphere at this match was one of the worst I have experience.” However, he noted it the case of Friday this was not aided by the stop-start nature of the game. “The scrums seemed to take forever to form, the referee seemed to blow his whistle constantly. Add to that Ireland’s lineout difficulties and soft turnovers and there was little to get the crowd excited.”
“There wasn’t much walking in and out to get drinks near me. Although those around me were pleasant, they were almost all totally disengage from the game and were just chatting amongst themselves most of the game, seemed like they were clients being taken to a game by Dublin-based companies.”While Jamie from London agrees that the atmosphere was subdued, he had a different take as to why.
And a number of responses also queried the impact of the late Friday night kick-off, particularly for fans from beyond the pale.“Rural supporters much more involved than pint swillers on the mobile phones in corporate boxes and premium seats.” Oof! That one may start a turf war.
All-Blacks Aviva-Stadium Autumn-Nations-Series
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