Rugby chief apologizes for half-empty stadium at Top League opener

Now I see why Eddie got out.

tickets were sold out to companies for corporate entertainment but did not shos up so the empty seats. No viewers yes, no profit no.

In the past there were a lot of ticket giveaways, and no doubt no shows are what caused this.

Hopefully though patronage is a bit higher this year. Some top league games I have attended in the past have been very sparsely attended.

They have to stop the ridiculous system of giving tickets to rich cronies and turning people away at the door because said rich people MIGHT show up at some point during the game.

Japanese rugby bosses received another blow to their reputation after Friday’s Top League season opener was played out in front of a half-empty stadium in Tokyo with supporters told the game was sold out and turned away.

Seems like they got what they deserved.

Why is management so inept in Japan!

Of course the suits aren't likely to show up, especially if the weather is going to be wet & cold..........

I don't think we will even be able to dream up the ticket debacles we WILL witness in 2020!

Japanese rugby bosses should have boasted that the seats were half full!

So maybe rugby was the flavor of the week, and now it is next week. By the way, what does "sold around 20,000 tickets for the fixture" mean? What is "the fixture"?

By the way, what does "sold around 20,000 tickets for the fixture" mean? What is "the fixture"?

It's just another word for the game/match.

What happened to all that recent enthusiasm? Is this why the Brave Blossoms are joining the Southern Hemisphere rugby championship?

Blocks of tickets force-sold at half-price or given away in advance. Sad for all the genuine fans who get turned away.

Trying to fill they stadium they have created the opposite effect. :headbang:

Much of Japan works like this in other areas too.

@Knobby Roads Thank you for letting me know! I'll remember it. When I watched one of the fixtures, I had no idea what on earth they were doing. But they looked pretty good at it.

Ridiculous. So people who wanted to buy tickets at the entrance couldn't. What a waste of time and money. Hope the JRFU get better organized by 2019.

They've got a top 10 international side now, but still bottom ranked management.

I'm sure it'll be fixed before the World Cup in 2019 though, there's so many smart people in positions of power and influence here. (snoooooort).

How does something like that even happen? Did they sell the tickets or not?

Japan Rudy must be kicking it self stupid. Eddie Jone has just been made head of English Ruby