Round 4 Rugby World Cup Tournament 2023 – Key Takeaways & Lessons

Heading into the matches of Round 4 Rugby World Cup Tournament 2023, the tournament reached the halfway stage of the total number of 48 games to be played in France, with records tumbling and expectations high for a commercially successful RWC – but what questions linger?

Rugby World Cup 2023 tournament director Michel Poussau, World Rugby chief executive officer Alan Gilpin and Jacques Rivoal, France 2023 chairman again faced the media last week to update on the tournament and answer key questions from the media before the 4th round got underway,

Fan Attendance & Viewership Breaking Records – Round 4 Rugby World Cup Tournament 2023

Before the round of matches got started on 27th September, the RWC 2023 Organisers confirmed that it is the biggest Men’s Rugby World Cup to date.

Poussau said: “We have had more than one million fans in our nine venues. In terms of TV audiences, the numbers keep growing. We have had more than one hundred million viewers in France, which is more than the whole of the Rugby World Cup 2019.

• > than 1 million fans at 9 venues in France.
• TV audiences reached more than 100 million viewers in France – already more than RWC 2019.
• There were audience records for broadcasts/streaming in France, Germany and Japan.
• There were more than 1.1 million new fans across World Rugby and RWC social media platforms.

Alan Gilpin, World Rugby CEO stressed that “Nothing grows rugby globally like a Rugby World Cup, and like a successful Rugby World Cup and that they are seeing the “positive impacts from that work and if we are going to be a truly global game, we have got to be more relevant and more accessible to more fans around the world.”

Jacques Rivoal added on the merch sales, “In the official stores, we have seen a rush on France team shirts. In two weeks, we have sold more of them than the number of Japanese shirts sold in the whole tournament in 2019. The megastores have also seen an explosion in sales, 30 per cent up on initial objectives in Paris and Marseille.”

Image Credit: RWC 2023

What Questions Were Raised – Issues Facing RWC 2023

Stadium Experiences – France RWC 2023

There seems to remain a disconnect between what the RWC 2023 Oganisers say at these weekly press meetings, compared what the media and fans generally experience in attending matches.

The responses seem to focus on the opening weekend of Marseille when it concerns fans getting into stadiums, but we have continued to see issues at every location in Paris, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse etc.

The metric World Rugby tried to use of data showing fans attending games remains a high percentage is a poor one – the issue is the fan (and media experience) in reaching the stadiums and leaving them post-match. In Toulouse for Japan vs. Samoa, the media bus took two hours when it was supposed to be 45 minutes, for example. In Marseille on Sunday for SA vs. Tonga, the Metro was unusable for many fans who had to walk back to hotels and other accommodations.

Gilpin said: “There are a number of fans who have had some challenging experiences, but let’s put that into context. There are one million fans who have already gone through the turnstiles at this Rugby World Cup. Unfortunately at any big event, no matter how much planning, testing and modelling that you do, it’s hard to model every fan’s behaviour.”

He added, “Whilst there have been reports that security has maybe been heavier than some fans expected in certain venues and cities, it needs to be that way to make sure we are providing the safest possible environment for fans.”

Photo Credit: JRFU – RWC 2023 Japan fans

Bunker Systems and Red/Yellow Card Reviews

We knew coming into this tournament, that this would be among the most controversial aspects of RWC 2023.

Gilpin when asked about the process said, “The strive for consistency and understanding is ongoing. Hopefully, everyone is seeing that there is clearer communication on-field about the decision being made in the bunker as it comes back to the referee. The foul play review officer in the bunker is obviously seeing more angles than television viewers at home or people in the stadium are seeing, and we think there is great consistency there and the bunker is working well.”

He added, “One of the reasons for the bunker was to take that decision into a place where it could be made in a more consistent, rational manner and we think that’s working.”

Match Data – Some Standout Facts and Figures – Round 4 Rugby World Cup Tournament 2023

• Despite the huge defeat to NZ in Pool A, Italy somehow maintained the fastest ruck speed at RWC23 at 3.17s.
• South Africa has now spent the most time in the opposition 22m (19 minutes 31 seconds).
• Fiji are the only team who have not lost a scrum at RWC 2023.
• New Zealand has the best lineout success rate (97 %) in France and has only lost one lineout on their own throw.
• Scotland and Georgia have the best tackle success with 89%.

Rugby World Cup 2023 News

• First Weekend of Rugby World Cup Tournament 2023 – Key Takeaways & Lessons.
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