High-scoring games bringing new fans to Premiership, say club bosses

High-scoring, high-entertainment running rugby is just what the Premiership “needs”, according to Gloucester and Bristol after they shared 81 points and 13 tries at Kingsholm on Saturday.

Gloucester ran rampant in the West Country derby, scoring nine tries in a 53-28 win over the Bears.

Some have questioned if the quest for attacking flair is coming at a detriment to defence, but Bristol director of rugby of rugby Pat Lam said the style is bringing more fans to the game.

“I think you’ve just got to look at the Bristol crowd [against Exeter Chiefs] last week, the Gloucester crowd [on Saturday],” he told BBC Sport.

“They enjoyed the rugby, we’re enjoying rugby. I’m pretty sure everyone’s talking about these caterpillars [rucks], these box[-kicking] fests.

“The purists might not like it but it’s not about the purists. It’s about the young people, it’s about people enjoying coming to games.”

The match was played in front of a capacity crowd at Gloucester, and Lam added that attracting new fans is important for the future of the game.

“We sold out here, we had our second biggest crowd last week, our game against Bath [at the Principality Stadium in May], the crowd’s building there,” he said.

“People want to be entertained. Our game needs people coming to rugby. I’m pretty confident that Gloucester are going to continue selling out because they’re playing great rugby.

“You’re always going to get people complaining, but I would look more at the positives where people are loving and enjoying it – particularly the kids, that’s what I like because that’s our future.”