Meath’s rout a ratings winner

THE demise of Dublin’s footballers attracted more television viewers than the ending of England’s World Cup dreams on Sunday afternoon.

TV3 yesterday revealed that 528,000 tuned in for their broadcast of the Leinster SFC semi-final where Pat Gilroy’s men were walloped by Meath (5-9 to 0-13).

As the Royals went goal crazy at Croke Park, the Germans were doing likewise in their 4-1 humiliation of Fabio Capello’s side, in Bloemfontein, in a game which attracted an average of 400,000 viewers to RTÉ (with 507,000 watching at the peak).