Rugby in New Zealand has been slowly but surely working its way toward financial ruin.
Spiralling costs and falling crowds have stretched resources to breaking point.
Rewind the clock 10 years and fans were clamouring for a seat at Westpac Stadium and sponsors lining up to get onboard the Cane-train.
Back then Jonah Lomu, Christian Cullen and Tana Umaga were demi-gods and the Hurricanes Super rugby brand was a licence to print money.
The Wellington Rugby Union, and to a lesser degree the other member unions of the Hurricanes’ region, was rolling in gold coins as the holder of the licence to manage and operate the franchise. The franchise once posted eight consecutive $1 million profits.
Those who believe in economic cycles might imagine the current low point wouldn’t be a bad time to invest in the future.
The All Blacks have won the Rugby World Cup and the national game is suddenly trendy again. Tickets please.
In rugby parlance the New Zealand Rugby Union have seen a gap and are doing all they can to bolt toward the try line.
In truth they have no choice.
The NZRU should be applauded for its innovation. If they have discovered one thing during the professional era, it is that the local market is a finite well in terms of capital.
Under constant threat from the deep pockets in the north, chief executive Steve Tew and his crew have found ways to keep their star players and prop up the provinces.
Once again they are thinking outside the square, seeking capital, but maintaining enough control to safeguard the interests of the game. Their latest move does not come without risk. They have opened the door for potentially fierce battles between their unions, particularly in the case of the Hurricanes.
A decent chunk of resentment has built up in Hawke’s Bay and Taranaki during the past 10 years and they may see this is as a chance to turn the tables.
Wellington Rugby gets about $600,000 for running the Hurricanes and another big dollop for the use of facilities at Rugby League Park, while Westpac Stadium bags the plums in rent.
Should anyone else get the licence and shift the franchise base, Wellington’s coffers would be about as full as Old Mother Hubbard’s. Interesting times lie ahead.
Could one compare their problems with what will happen here with the Eastern Cape problems?
The answer is simple, there is too much rugby. The S246 is too long, the 4N is boring. Don’t think for 1 minute that the addition of Argentina is suddenly going to make a difference to the attendances in NZ and Oz. Take a look at the Sharks, they can’t fill their stadium, not even against the Lions.
The way forward is by looking back into history. Bring back traditional tours with midweek games.
2@ Loosehead:Agree, there’s nothing to really get excited about any more, I can remember receiving my season ticket with relish, now I hardly ever go to watch a game live any more. Less S15, less Tri/Quad/Championship rugby, and more of the real old test series. Playing Aus/NZ every year has made the games (from a spectatorship POV) predictable, hypeless, and often pretty boring. There is no sense of the unknown, untried and untested any more. A 3 test series with midweek games, now that would get the juices flowing again!
3@ Just For Kicks:
Exactly.
But isn’t the June window set aside specifically for NH teams to tour in the SH? Apparantly there is great hype for the B&I Lions tour to Aus in a couple of years. I agree that full tour are the way to go, with midweek games and some Saturday games for the bigger provinces. And then a 3 or 4 test series. These tours are great to unearth talent. I remember as youngster how teams like England and Ireland would tour SA, after poor 5N campaigns, and go back home and do well in the 5N if not win it.
I agree with the “too much rugby” comments. Also the SH unions can’t pay enough and the guys go to Europe for the bucks.
Perhaps its time to think of a 3 tier system with the top 2 teams Playing in a UEFA type league. super rugby restricted to 3 teams each and the players earning less money and then the normal Provincial leagues. If the professional era is left to go to its logical conclusion all meaningful rugby will end up being played in the NH, because this is where the crowds and money are…therere are some stadiums that take like only 10,000 people but they are oversubscribed for season tickets and people pay top dollar to go and see a game. When the top teams play in a stadium like Twickenham prices average out at about £35 (over R400)and the get 60,000 people pitching up on a Saturday. The town centre is taken over and all the pubs flow out onto the pavement. We just don’t see it anymore in SA and NZ. Oz never had huge crowds and Argentina where the National sport is football is going to be worse. Most American football is watched on tv and that is the way we are heading. The players too in my opinion are becoming jaded, there isn’t a hell of a lot of passion amongst the top players, they try and avoid injury and keep playing. Best rugby we see is high school rugby and the struggling unions in competitions like the Curry Cup….this is where guys are still hungry.
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