Last Saturday London Welsh brought down the curtain on their 54th season at ODP with a narrow defeat to Worcester. Despite Gordon Ross’s last-gasp penalty falling agonisingly short, Bristol’s win over Nottingham ensured our progress to the promotion play-off semi-finals. Firstly, however, we finish the group stages as we began the league season at the end of August - with a trip to Meadow Lane.
That meeting back on August Bank Holiday weekend resulted in a 27-21 win for Welsh, the first time that we’ve collected the full five points on the opening day of the season since bonus points were introduced eleven years ago. Nottingham got their revenge on the final weekend of part one of the season, however, when they won 22-13 at ODP, although three weeks later, in front of the Sky cameras, we opened our play-off campaign with a resounding 48-26 win over the same opponents. We led 38-5 just after the hour mark, when Hudson Tonga’uiha strolled over unopposed from a ruck on the visitors’ 22, but somehow contrived to concede three late tries to give Nottingham a bonus point which they barely deserved. And until last weekend there was a niggling worry that that point could come back to haunt us, as Nottingham still had a chance of overhauling us in the race for second place behind Worcester. Our two big wins over Bristol had given us a heavy advantage in terms of points difference, but even with the losing bonus point gained at home to the Warriors last Saturday - something which Nottingham had also achieved in week three - they could potentially catch us. Very few people predicted that Bristol, having lost all four games to date and conceding 177 points in the process, would beat Nottingham, and the Green & Whites must have had one eye on building up a cricket score in order to give themselves a fighting chance of catching us, so news of their 29-19 defeat at the Mem came as a bit of a surprise - albeit a welcome surprise to London Welsh fans.
Although the semi-final at Penzance on Sunday 1st May is already confirmed, Welsh will want to finish the pool stages with a win, and particularly to build on a fantastic performance against Worcester. In scoring two tries to our visitors’ one we became only the second team to beat them on try-count this season - the first was Rotherham, who scored three tries to two in their 32-25 defeat at Sixways in September. The Warriors and Pirates each boast a 100% record after five rounds of fixtures, so we will be looking to go into our semi-final on the back of a morale-boosting win, but our record against Nottingham in league rugby suggests that this may be a tall order. This is our eighth meeting in just two seasons, having also met in last year’s play-offs, with Welsh claiming four wins to three thus far. Peculiarly, last season’s league fixtures were both won by the home side and the play-off fixtures by the away side, whereas this season the visitors emerged victorious in the league encounters while we won the aforementioned home game in the play-offs. And in our 19 meetings overall we lead 10-9 with - you guessed it - five home wins from ten and five away wins from nine.
During our meeting last month one London Welsh fan remarked that adding Nottingham’s full-back, Dave Jackson (no relation) and No.8, Sione Kalamafoni to our existing squad would make the difference between being a top four side and a top two side. Jackson recently signed a new two-year deal with the club, although he will miss Saturday’s game having sustained a broken cheekbone at Worcester a fortnight ago, while Kalamafoni has upset many admirers - both in the Premiership and the Championship - by agreeing a twelve month extension to his existing contract. The club has also announced in the last fortnight that several other players - including three-quarters Andy Savage and Tim Streather - will be signing for another two years, while Rotherham’s Argentinian fly-half, Juan-Pablo Socino is also rumoured to be moving to Meadow Lane just twelve months after leaving Tonmawr for South Yorkshire.
This Saturday’s game in the second half of a double-header with Notts County’s League One clash with Bournemouth. The Magpies’ average attendance this season is just under 6,500, whereas the Green & Whites’ average is 5,000 fewer, and while the back-to-back fixtures have been forced upon the clubs by the Championship’s requirements for all of the final round of fixtures to kick-off simultaneously it does give the rugby club an opportunity to sell itself to a wider audience. The football-style chanting of the new breed of Nottingham fans has attracted much negative feedback from supporters of other clubs, so there may be a question mark over how the rest of the Championship will react to any growth in their fanbase as a result of this experiment. Saturday’s crowd at ODP was comfortably the best of the season, although it’s always a concern that once the attendance increases above about 1,500 the home supporters are in the minority. We may argue that the proximity of first-class rugby (union and league), football and even cricket provide too much competition when trying to attract newcomers on a Saturday, but it’s an oft-quoted fact that paying punters are drawn to a winning team. All the players can do is continue to play the exciting brand of rugby which has brought us three bonus-point wins and that heartbreaking losing bonus in our last five games, performances which are keeping the Premiership dream - and the 12,000 capacity crowds associated with it - alive.
Nottingham v London Welsh - Play-off Preview
Posted by: The Dragons\\\' Den (IP Logged)
Date: 14/04/2011 09:09
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All true rugby supporters want is a crowd that regardless of its allegiance respects good play by either side (and respects the officials even if/when they are wrong) and has a decent chat with opposing supporters before, during and after the match (though is silent during any place kicks). There are a couple of clubs currently in the Championship which have, if I may say so, some supporters who don't quite understand these traditions. More's the pity, and it's not being stuffy, pompous or old-fashioned to say so. At least our club is a lessee of a ground not shared with a soccer club.
Reading the Notts County site, I think I have picked up that there is no reserved seating and that probably all spectators will be on one side of the pitch, soccer fans having to leave the ground at the end of NC v Bournemouth and re-enter by one gate. Hopefully that may shake off the inebriates
An odd game in which the ref seemed determined to be the star with unpredictable decisions, many penalties and a few cards waved.
Lots of off the ball stuff going on and neither team were especially saintly. LW supporters particularly riled by Yarde being tackled by grabbing his hair, a foot coming very high over a ruck and catching Rob Lewis in the head and Ben Stevenson needing treatment to his eye after it appeared to 'be examined' by a Notts player. For a game that should have meant nothing there wasn't an inch given by either team.
Great to see the players showing their appreciation of the travelling support at the end of the game.
LONDON WELSH Supporters out-numbered by Notts supporters by 10 to 1 or more. However, LONDON WELSH supporters had far more noise and thunder than Notts supporters. Also LONDON WELSH fringe players had both belief and great commitment to overcome a spirited display from their hosts.PADDYTAF
unfortunately you highlight the continuing poor support figures despite very good performances from the team. That is directly in conflict with what was suggested by earlier representatives of the club, namely that if the perfomances improved the crowds would come flocking back. Sadly London Scottish have done a better marketing job and improved their support figures. The club struggles to achieve a sustainable future is content to be wholly subsidised. Good sense would suggest that needs more than a single investor. Heaven knows where the level of money could be raised to enter the premiership but Mark Evans achieved that when he joined Quins from Sarries. They have now achieved a healthy supporter base and income even though they have their additional sponsorship. Do we have a Mark Evans? I think not.
I've no idea Whether we have a Mark Evans lurking somewhere, but reference to Harlequins is not really fair as that club (for historic reasons that I cannot fathom) has very good connections in the City, astute use of which built the Stoop-based club up greatly. Even when mostly based at HQ they were always obviously well-connected.
Which does not answer the question of where the level of money could be raised for LWRFC to enter the premiership unless it was someone with say Saudi connections or similar, but I won't even begin to go there ...
London Irish is a better example. The board during the last financial debacle were invited to consult the main characters who pulled off the Irish rescue act but declined.
There are three groups that we could learn from. Those that, as Adge said, turned around LI, those that developed a 5 year+ strategy at Exeter to make a largely sustainable business and those that run a rugby club on a far smaller budget than us but without generating anywhere near the annual losses.
If we keep the attitude (as mentioned in another thread) that we have a divine right to play at the highest level then we won't take time to learn from others.
And Exeter is hardly a good example either as they were lucky enough to sit on a city site, albeit not in exactly a plum location (St.Thomas), good for housing redevelopment, and laid their hands on a greenfield site to move to. Making money on a rising property market is hardly rocket science. So who wants to give us a nice greenfield site on which to build a spanking new stadium, clubhouse etc - preferably with a pagoda in the corner.
I suspect the Championship should abandon full-time professionalism and go for semi-pro. The business plan of the Championship is just not sustainable on average Championship gates.
Dan, I think you can make it sustainable, but you have to create a product, and you have to market the life out of it. London Welsh, Dragons, Exiles; call it something and get behind it. Also stop thinking this is premier football, people won't flock in without being lead! Also think about the facilities, a tent at the end of the pitch is hardly modern hospitality, there are some great entertainment buildings about, but you have to have imagination and flair. To market to people you don't just go to the people you know, you create markets from people you don't know yet! get my drift!
LB
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