0
Victorians are gonna have to do better if they hope to get a Super14 franchise...
-------
The Crusaders' days of playing in Melbourne are numbered.
With Saturday night's match against the Western Force at Olympic Park pulling a disappointing crowd of only about 7000 fans, it is unlikely the franchise will play pre-season matches in the Victorian capital.
Chief executive Hamish Riach said yesterday it was not expected the Crusaders would record a profit from the game.
"Probably not, I would say. We probably broke even. It's been hard to crack a really good crowd in Melbourne."
The weekend's match was the last in a three- year deal brokered between the Crusaders, the Force and the Victorian Rugby Union, which is desperate to promote the code in the Aussie Rules-mad city.
In 2006 11,500 fans watched the two teams play but that figure dipped to 7000 last year.
With the Crusaders paying for the bulk of the costs for hosting the match, the franchise was also entitled to the lion's share of any profits.
It will also earn a match fee, and possibly a bonus if there is a large crowd, from Thursday night's match against the Waratahs at Sydney's Aussie Stadium.
Riach said the Crusaders will now assess their options and whether it is worth the risk of playing in Melbourne.
With coach Robbie Deans set to leave New Zealand at the end of the Super 14, the relationship with Force coach John Mitchell is set to be severed.
The pair coached the All Blacks between 2001 and 2003 and hatched the plan to play in Melbourne.
The Crusaders will also be wary of taking games to Australia when they can pull bigger crowds in New Zealand for such pre- season matches.
On January 25, 10,000 people attended the match between the Crusaders and Hurricanes.
The Tasman union, which hosted the fixture, reaped a tidy profit.
The Crusaders are negotiating with the Sharks to play their 2009 round-robin match in London instead of Durban, with each franchise to share dividends.
Crusaders likely to scratch Melbourne ties - rugbyheaven07.com.au