Rugby: UK clubs fuming over S15 London match

Monday's match raised more than £1 million for the Red Cross Christchurch Earthquake fund. Photo / Getty Images

The decision to host the Crusaders Super Rugby clash against the Sharks at London's Twickenham has angered English rugby clubs, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Monday's match was the first time a Super Rugby match had been hosted outside of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and raised more than £1 million for the Red Cross Christchurch Earthquake fund.

However English Premiership Rugby clubs say the game attracted fans away from last weekend's club games and have threatened to move next season's Heineken Cup final away from Twickenham, the home of English rugby.

The Telegraph reports other venues are now being investigated, including Wembley in London, and Manchester United's Old Trafford.

The Crusaders have had to shift all their home games for this season as AMI Stadium sustained major damage in the February 22 Christchurch earthquake.

The Twickenham Super 15 match, which the Crusaders won 44-28, drew a crowd of 35,094 fans.

One source told the paper the threat was to act as a "flashing red light" to the RFU from the clubs, who were angry at the timing of the Super 15 game, which coincided with the first full weekend of games where the clubs had their international stars returned from Six Nations duty.

Saracens chairman Nigel Wray, told The Telegraph attendance at the team's Sunday game against Newcastle was down 1,500 on the same fixture last year.

Another club source told the paper said the game was "the thin end of the wedge" and the RFU should not have allowed the game to be played on a weekend when "when domestic rugby should have been given the opportunity to shine".

"Teams from Super 15 have been trying for the last three years to get a game played in London and there were other options, such as Durban and any of the other stadiums in New Zealand for this game to have been played," they said.

"This was a commercial venture in every way, a commercial venture dressed up in charity clothing."

The English RFU dismissed that suggestion, but would not comment to The Telegraph about the threat to move next year's final.

"English rugby moved heaven and earth to enable this game to go ahead because we thought it was a worthwhile cause," an RFU spokesman said.

"The idea that this was a purely a commercial venture is nonsense.

"Hosting this game at Twickenham was about English rugby showing its support for the rugby family in New Zealand and the people of Christchurch who had been affected by the earthquake.

"The match and related fund-raising will have raised over £1 million for the Red Cross Christchurch Earthquake fund and the RFU intends to donate all profit we made for hosting the game to charities in both New Zealand and Japan."

- HERALD ONLINE