 Crusaders half-back Tommy Lee takes on the Rhinos on Friday |
Rugby Football League chief Nigel Wood has challenged the Crusaders to sustain their impressive north Wales debut. The Welsh Super League franchise broke their record crowd by 4,000 as they attracted 10,334 to their first game at Wrexham's Racecourse Ground. The club moved from Bridgend after a take-over by Wrexham FC owners. But Wood said: "In the past we have seen examples where a new club has started with a bang but subsequently been unable to sustain early success." The Crusaders attracted the biggest rugby league crowd in Wales, other than the 'Millennium Magic' showpieces in Cardiff, for 14 years in their 34-6 opening day defeat to defending champions Leeds Rhinos. An impressive 15,385 supporters watched Wales beat Western Samoa 22-10 at the Vetch Field in Swansea in the 1995 World Cup finals. But the Crusaders' first match at their new Wrexham home - nearer to rugby league's heartland in the north of England - was a sell-out, helping rugby league chiefs justify the Crusaders' controversial move north. The crowd beat their previous attendance record when 6,000 fans watched their 4-0 defeat by St Helens at the Brewery Field last season.  | 606: DEBATE |
"Friday night was a tremendous occasion which hopefully marked the start of an exciting new chapter for Crusaders RL and the sport in Wales," said NRL chief executive Wood. "And it demonstrated what can happen with the right level of nurturing. "The vast majority of the fans were from Wrexham and north Wales and though many of them were new to the sport, I am sure they will all want to come back for more. "The challenge now is for everyone at Crusaders RL to retain and grow the level of support we saw on Friday night and turn the massive interest in the club into season ticket sales and corporate deals throughout the new season and beyond. "Crusaders RL will be aware that the key to their future success lies in their commitment to work even harder in the months ahead. "But I am sure that everyone at the Racecourse Ground is aware that this is only the start. "On the field, Brian Noble's squad can only improve as the players get to know each other and their aim has to be to make the Racecourse Ground a fortress which few clubs will look forward to visiting. "There is a lot of hard work still to be done in the next few months but if Crusaders RL can consistently meet the benchmark they set on Friday night the future for Super League in Wales looks bright." The Crusaders have two away trips next as the Welsh side travel to new coach Noble's old club Wigan Warriors, one of Super League's superpowers, and Salford City Reds before the Racecourse hosts its next game on Friday, 20 February when Hull FC visit.
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