New Zealand Kiwis seem likely to play in front of another small crowd for the second test against England in Liverpool on Monday (NZ time).
A crowd of 17,649 watched England defeat New Zealand 18-16 at the KCom Stadium in Hull on Sunday, 6000 spectators down on the crowd that watched the two nations square off at the same venue three years ago.
The small crowd size is a big blow for Hull, as the Hull Daily Mail is reporting the low attendance has set back the city's bid to host big games at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.
A bigger crowd is expected for the second test at Anfield, which can hold more than 54,000 fans, but England Rugby League football chief executive Ralph Rimmer told The Guardian that he's hopeful of 25,000 fans for game two of the three-test series.
"We'd like to see a really considerable boost off the back of Saturday's game, as it's a big stadium and a fantastic venue," Rimmer said. "I would hope we would be over 25,000 for it, something like that.
"We're now on the road to the next World Cup here and we need to create some interest in international rugby league. We have to build a bit more momentum to get back to where we were three years or so ago."
When the Kiwis met Australia in the Four Nations final at Anfield two years ago, more than 40,000 fans attended.
Overall, the average attendance for Super League games in 2018 was 8547, with the lowest reported crowd being 2248 for a clash between Salford and Widnes.
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Join us at 3am Monday for live updates of the Kiwis vs England rugby league test at Liverpool.
