WEMBLEY, England (AP) — A crowd of 83,761 attended Wembley Stadium on Saturday, a world record for a club rugby match.
While international rugby can attract huge crowds, club matches are restrained by stadium size or relatively limited interest — even in the sport’s strongholds of England and New Zealand.
But Saracens chose to play London rival Harlequins in England’s Premiership at Wembley, with Harlquins winning 24-19.
The old world record was 82,208 for a 2009 Heineken Cup quarterfinal between Leinster and Munster at Dublin’s Croke Park. Saracens and Harlequins drew 82,000 at Twickenham this season.
