All very positive.

Murrayfield the perfect host for a magical weekend


It was a weekend that delighted the fans at Murrayfield. Picture: SNS Group

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By David Ferguson
SOME Rugby Leaguies of a Welsh and French persuasion might beg to differ, but there was a clear satisfaction buzzing around Murrayfield last night that Super League's first 'Magic Weekend' had proven to be a major success.
Two years ago, the Rugby Football League took its show on the road and after two years of a weekend carnival in Cardiff, they struck a deal to move it north to Edinburgh in 2009 and 2010. It is a fascinating concept, where all seven games in one round of the Super League are played at the same venue and Murrayfield proved more than up for it this weekend.

The party atmosphere was incredible, live band 'The Big Beat' belting out hits selected by fans that had them dancing in the aisles in between the games, a kilted Keith 'Cheggers' Chegwin winding them up further and the stadium rocking during the seven clashes to the more typical 'oohs' and 'aahs' of bone-jarring tackles and sublime bits of rugby trickery, and 62 tries.

When the games briefly stopped, choruses of fans' singing started. Even the Celtic Crusaders supporters from Wales and France's Catalan Dragons were vocal, despite their teams suffering the heaviest defeats.

Wigan v St Helens lived up to its billing as the most intense derby of the weekend with a cracking match on Saturday night that ended with Wigan continuing the Saints' recent slump with a superb 38-18 victory over their century-old rivals.

The tempo lifted again yesterday as Huddersfield Giants and Leeds Rhinos demolished the luckless Crusaders and Dragons to take advantage of Saints' slip and move closer to the league leaders as the halfway stage approaches, before Warrington and Hull KR served up a thrilling end-to-end finale.

The rugby was fierce, the rivalries intense, but there was a feel around this weekend that transcended the games. Even less than half-full it gripped like an exciting football match with an intense, noisy, imaginative and colourful support – and a plethora of tries – rarely seen at Murrayfield, but, crucially, even when passions ran high, without the need for segregation.

The man behind the 'Magic Weekend' idea is Nigel Wood, the RFL chief executive, and he told The Scotsman: "I'm very happy with how it has gone. Obviously, we knew it wasn't a great gamble bringing it to Murrayfield after the success of the Challenge Cup Finals in 2000 and 2002.

"We have a number of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators] that we measure success against, but basically there are three things that I look for. The first is how many tickets we sell, and sell locally, and we've sold 59,729 overall – which beats Cardiff's first year (57,000] – and 6,236 locally, so I'm pleased because it has held up well despite the difficult financial climate.

"The second thing is the awareness of the game, its profile, and how that has been helped, and I have to say the agencies we've worked with up here – the SRU, EventScotland, VisitScotland and the City of Edinburgh Council – have been exceptional to work with. They have been enthusiastic and worked hard which has made a huge difference to the profile in the last few days, and the feedback in the media has also been positive.

"One thing that you can guarantee with rugby league is that the fans will enjoy themselves and if you were in Edinburgh on Friday and Saturday nights – and it will be the same tonight – no-one will have needed any persuading that the thousands who have travelled here have had a good time. That is important to us.

"The third thing is the development potential it creates for rugby league in Scotland. That will take time to judge because you're looking at whether more individuals take up league and more teams start. We have about 12, 13 teams in Wales, 20 in Ireland and eight in Scotland this year, but the hope is that this can continue to develop that on the back of this.

"Obviously, in Wales it has led to the creation of the Celtic Crusaders, and I see no reason why we can't have a Super League team in Scotland in the future, though it will take time to convert a social league game to semi-professional and then professional."

Whether it ever does convert remains a $64,000 question for Wood, and Scottish development manager Mark Senter. But there was no hiding from the excitement of league at the weekend, the terrific skill and bruising physicality, as the cream of Super League again left a fine imprint on Murrayfield that can only enhance the RFL's efforts.

The SRU will also benefit through an arrangement that includes the returns from their own ticket sales, as well as all the food and drink receipts inside Murrayfield over the weekend.

Gordon McKie, the SRU chief executive, stated: "We were extremely pleased to be able to host such a colourful and entertaining event with 60,000 people enjoying the Scottish sunshine and a memorable weekend of rugby league. We consider Murrayfield to be a premier European venue and it is encouraging to see so many newcomers to the stadium enjoy the facilities. We are proud of our blossoming relationship with RFL and look forward to building on this year's success."

It will be intriguing to see if the sport has made any further in-roads north of the border by then, but, for now, the SRU and Edinburgh can be satisfied that Murrayfield has again proven its ability to be a thrilling hub for British sport.

Super League fans won over by a 'great carnival' in the capital

THE waves of supporters that descended on Murrayfield over the weekend attested to the appeal of Super League's 'Magic Weekend', but did Edinburgh prove to be a welcoming host?

For Chris Taylor, a supporter and sponsor of Huddersfield Giants, the 'Magic Weekend' provided the perfect opportunity to savour the family atmosphere of Super League, and he believed the move from Cardiff to Edinburgh was a good one.

"The whole family have come up in the train from Leeds, with some good friends, and we're making a real weekend of it," he said. "We are staying at the Balmoral Hotel and it's much better than Cardiff.

"The beer's a bit pricey, and maybe they should think about closing the top tier in the stand to really get the atmosphere built up, but they're just little things – the whole weekend has been brilliant, at Murrayfield and in the city.

"I've spoken to lots of fans who are saying the same. When you have all the fans from all the different clubs in one city it's just fantastic. League isn't like football, and it's why we like it; everyone mixes, stands side by side with fans of their rivals, and has a great time."

As if to underline the point, his group featured Giants and Leeds Rhinos fans. Having watched Huddersfield romp to a 40-16 win in the first of yesterday's games, Alison Vertigans was as confident that her Rhinos would follow suit later (they won 36-16).

"It's been fantastic," she said. "

It's fantastic that the 'Magic Weekend' has come to Edinburgh. We will definitely come back next year and make a weekend of it again. But I'd like to see them go back to the derbies they had in Cardiff. Wigan and St Helens was good, but if you put Hull and Hull KR together on the next day then you Scots would see what the rivalries are really about."

David Williams is a Castleford fan and he admitted that it would not matter where his team played he would be there. "It's more about Cas playing than wanting to come to Edinburgh for me to be honest," he said. "I went to Cardiff last year and it was better there. The car parking is a shocker in Edinburgh. But if Cas are back next year, I'll be back."

His friend Kevin Tankard added: "I think it's great that they are moving games around the UK to try and widen the appeal of league and I hope it leads to a Scottish team in Super League the same way it's got the Crusaders involved. That's good for the sport."

Phil Wardley, a Rhinos supporter, said: "I'm really happy they changed it from Cardiff.

There are so many bars and places to eat; the people are so friendly – we've made a lot of friends this weekend. If 'Magic Weekend' was in Edinburgh every week I would come. It's a far better city than Cardiff."

Joel Tarrius and Marie-Christina Baux followed the Catalan Dragons from Perpignan and, like most of their red-and-yellow bedecked brethren, it was easy to spot them.

Tarrius said: "I have come to Scotland once before and I love it. Scottish people are wonderful, especially with us (French people]. This is the first time we have come to 'Magic Weekend'; it's a great carnival, like a big family, with everyone speaking to everyone, singing, and having fun.

"We are very pleased that Catalan are in Super League. In France, rugby union is becoming too tactical with nothing happening for long periods, but in league there is always something to see; someone ready to strike, and more and more people are watching league."

Baux added: "We dream of a 'Magic Weekend' in France. I have not been to Edinburgh before, but I am coming back, definitely. I have had a wonderful weekend."



The full article contains 1596 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.Page 1 of 1

Last Updated: 03 May 2009 11:44 PM
Source: The Scotsman
Location: Edinburgh
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