The Rugby World Cup is over for another four years. When next the rugby playing nations of the world gather it will be under the rising sun of Japan. Today we take a quick look at some of the winners from the tournament off the field…
The English Rugby Football Union
Fans of the sport in England will certainly question this measure of success but while the team underperformed in a fashion more embarrassing that any other northern hemisphere team the success of the tournament in terms of the tickets sold will mean a profit for the RFU of £21 million (€29 million).
fans filled 98% of the available seat capacity, in many areas paying premium prices that mean targets were exceeded on all financial measures. It sets a high bar for future hosts, including potentially Ireland in 2023 but also shows what the prize of winning the bid to host the tournament could yield.
That £21 million is a fair sized chest to develop the sport so that next time around England will be a stronger force.
The Irish Rugby Football Union
Again the expectation of what was possible for the team exceeded what was the end result but Irish support at the tournament will be a major positive for the bidding team for RWC 2023.
The Fields of Athenry ringing around packed stadia even when Ireland were not in action showed to World Rugby, if they needed convincing that Irish supporters have the desire to buy tickets to follow the sport and the capacity to afford them.
TV3
The broadcaster smashed records for viewing figures, advertising revenue and reputation from the moment the tournament kicked off. The engagement of Irish viewers versus those in England, as shown in last weeks RWC Insider were a testament to the quality of the coverage and analysis.
Perhaps most importantly, and especially given the investment of the station’s new owners it showed that it was capable of turning a profit on live ‘appointment to view’ television.
With a renewal of the GAA broadcast rights already under the first stages of negotiation it is likely that this will have whetted the appetite to get back into big time sports coverage bolstering the UEFA Champions’ League coverage that has sustained TV3 sport over the past two years.
Sponsors
Land Rover, Aer Lingus and Heineken have all scored very high figures in terms of audience recognition and brand connection through the tournament. That is the first measure of a successful association with a major event.
The second is a colder, harder look at sales performance. That will come over time but there was a real sense that the brands involved with the Irish team had mounted strong campaigns that will result in a winning sentiment among consumers and that is the ‘first base’ in marketing.
The Provinces
Leinster, Munster, Ulster and Connacht have been hard hit by playing matches throughout the tournament largely shorn of their stars. Injuries mean that some will be out for longer yet but after six rounds of the Guinness Pro12 Irish teams fill four of the top five places. There were wins for Connacht, Leinster and Munster this weekend, the latter in a thrilling eight try win over Ulster in “The night of the Living Red’ on Friday at Thomond Park.
An appetite for top rugby should now filter back through the local heroes and see attendances and engagement climb through the provinces.
Image credit: Inpho.ie
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Sport for Business is a community of sporting and business leaders. We work closely with the biggest names in rugby and all other sports to bring you the inside track on the commercial world of sport. We also build and collaborate on events that will lead to a stronger community over time. 
