Lancaster leads England to Manchester but league may have Grand Final say

Perhaps Manchester United had a crystal ball when, two years ago, they pulled out of hosting World Cup matches at Old Trafford. England’s final group game is not even the biggest show in town this weekend, a dispiriting dud set to be overshadowed by another rugby match four miles away.

It was not supposed to end like this. England 2015 had envisaged Stuart Lancaster’s side arriving in Manchester as triumphant quarter-finalists, having already beaten Fiji, Wales and Australia. A crushing victory over Uruguay was meant to ice the cake, a fond valediction to the north before returning to Surrey with the nation’s blessing and the Webb Ellis Cup in sight.

Instead, Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium will be the stage for a dead rubber while Old Trafford hosts the Super League Grand Final between Wigan and Leeds. The atmosphere there will be thumping, sold out for a season-ending showpiece. At Eastlands, though, it could all feel rather odd.

A large proportion of Lancaster’s squad would rather be anywhere else, bereft by their tournament exit and in the midst of wranglings over a RFU review into their failure. Even those omitted from Lancaster’s squad are steering clear, with Steffon Armitage choosing to visit Old Trafford instead. The ticket website Viagogo states 560 tickets for the game against Uruguay were at one stage listed for resale this week – at 9am last Saturday category A tickets were selling for £260, now they are listed at £59.

The attacking side selected to face Uruguay should inject some excitement and Lancaster rightly attempted to talk up a rugby bonanza in the north-west that will see fans of both codes descend on the city.

“I spend a lot of my time watching the Premiership over here and I know how passionate the fans are at Sale,” Lancaster said. “To come here with the England team I think is fantastic. I was at the Grand Final in Manchester this time last year; I know how busy the city was. To throw in all the England rugby supporters, it’s going to be a fantastic weekend.”

Chances are, league and union fans will be rubbing shoulders at the World Cup fanzone in Albert Square on Saturday. There they can take on Sam Burgess together in a virtual Canterbury speed challenge and argue the toss over a player whose selection has divided opinion like no other.

There is, however, no escaping it. This is a missed opportunity, a chance to showcase the game in an area where the England side seldom come. Instead, it is a game laced with insignificance.

Members and players from amateur rugby union teams across the area will still make the journey to the Etihad. For them, it remains a rare chance to see England in action so close to home, even if the result is an irrelevance.

“It’s lost some of its appeal but I still think it’s important for people who have bought tickets to go and support the national team,” said Gary Pugh, the club captain of North Manchester Rugby Club. “About 25 of us are going to the game. It’s a dead rubber but it’s still important that we support the game we love; it’s the top of the triangle and we are at the bottom of the triangle. Even if you take England out of it, it’s still a World Cup, they’re doing a brilliant job filling the stadiums.

“Our rugby union clubs seem to be thriving but the cheapest ticket at the England game is £50, the cheapest ticket at the Grand Final is £10 – and it’s sold out. For the neutral, there’s only one game to go and watch.”

Orrell, the former top-flight side who have fallen on hard times, believe the World Cup could result in 20% more juniors training with the club and the RFU is assisting the team with new sponsorship. A group of 20 people involved with the club will be in attendance at the Etihad and the vice-chairman, Ian Hollis, is hoping for a more attacking display.

“There are some members going there but some have been put off by the price of it. I think 12 months ago tickets were on sale for £70, three weeks ago the only tickets left were £250. I can’t afford that,” Hollis said.

“Hopefully it will get more kids playing rugby. OK we’ve lost, oh diddums. It’s not the end of the world; let’s do on Saturday what we’ve not so far – run with that ball. Let the backs play with it. I’ll be watching both games with two TVs side by side.”