‘Everybody is struggling’
Wider Manawatu¯ rugby union bosses say the impact of new international competitions on New Zealand provincial rugby must be front and centre of any restructure of the national game.
There are also calls to keep talent development in the provinces and moves to get players turning out for their home unions so the game gets its ‘‘tribalism’’ back.
New Zealand Rugby announced yesterday the findings of a report into the future of the game, including how provincial unions, Super Rugby clubs and schools would fit with player recruitment, participation and development.
NZR said the report found ways to grow revenue and remove ‘‘inefficiencies’’, which could free up as much as $20 million to be put back into the game. Consultation, including with provincial unions, would start as soon as possible and run into March.
The report, which has not been made public, identified five key areas to do something about: highperformance pathways, expenditure optimisation, resourcing across rugby, domestic competitions and revenue-growth opportunities.
This comes as NZR tries to figure out the future of the game, in a time when Super Rugby and Mitre 10 Cup crowds are shrinking and player numbers are down.
NZR chief executive mark Robinson said it was about making the game economically viable and relevant to fans.
Manawatu¯ Rugby Union chairman Tim Myers said all the numbers were going the wrong way, so the review was supported.
But any moves to reduce the number of teams in the Mitre 10 Cup, which the Manawatu¯ Turbos play in, were not supported by the union, he said.
The cup had a unique ‘‘tribalism’’ factor, but it had diminished as richer unions took players away from their home provinces.
Manawatu¯ wanted players to turn out for the province where they played their club rugby, echoing its policy of always picking Manawatu¯ club players as much as possible, Myers said.
He was against the idea of moving player development from provinces to Super Rugby franchises, because the Mitre 10 Cup consistently showed off players who ended up becoming great All Blacks. ‘‘We are saying ‘trust us’.’’
Enhancing that tribal factor would give people more reasons to connect to their provincial team. That connection would hopefully help pull bigger crowds consistently through a season, he said.
New competitions being established in Japan and the United States would change the landscape, as players not at Super Rugby level would be attracted by the money on offer.
Myers said it was worth looking at those new competitions as opportunities instead of threats, especially if the dates worked with New Zealand competitions.
Arrangements could be made between overseas teams and provincial clubs so players could go at ‘‘scratch that overseas itch’’, yet still turn out for their home sides, he said.
Horowhenua Kapìti Rugby Union chief executive Corey Kennett said the union posted surpluses for the past 11 years by sticking to the core business – getting people playing rugby – but other unions had not done so well.
‘‘Everybody is struggling to live within their means.’’
Money could be saved by eliminating duplication across unions, so it made sense for the review to look at that.
The pull of European and Japanese competitions, with their good pay rates, as well as the establishment of new ones in places like the US, made it increasingly difficult to retain top talent, he said.
‘‘They are new options for athletes to make piecemeal annual work plans, working in certain countries at certain times plying their trade.
‘‘It puts other competitions at risk.’’