The Ospreys' United Rugby Championship match against the Lions in South Africa was played in front of a nearly empty Ellis Park Stadium, with stark images showing swathes of empty seats at the 62,000-capacity venue in Johannesburg.
Three of the four stands at Ellis Park were all but empty, while only a small smattering of supporters were visible on the side where broadcast cameras were placed. An official crowd figure is yet to be released.
Familiar sight at Ellis Park
The scenes were reminiscent of previous URC games at the venue, notably the match against the Scarlets last year when the official attendance was recorded as just 1,771 at the 62,000-capacity ground.
The issue of crowd numbers has long been a talking point in Welsh regional rugby, but the paltry attendance at this game shows the issues many teams face in the disjointed competition that sees sides from Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Italy and South Africa play, with little travelling support present. An early lunchtime kick-off would not have helped matters.
Ospreys suffer second straight South African defeat
The match finished in defeat for the Ospreys as they threw away a 12-10 half-time lead to go down 35-19 in a second consecutive defeat on South African soil this season.
A crowd of 7,231 watched Cardiff's win over Zebre at the Arms Park on Friday night. Over in the Gallagher Prem, Bath's match against Exeter was attended by 14,600 people, helped by the relative close proximity of the two opposing teams.
The Lions' average attendance last season was around 6,000, boosted significantly by matches against fellow South African opposition.
