Fakaongo Le'aamanu, Auckland Grammar School v St Kent's College. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Fakaongo Le'aamanu, Auckland Grammar School v St Kent's College. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Auckland's 1A 1st XV season will no longer be broadcast live after a group of principals from the competing schools said there is an unhealthy level of scrutiny and pressure on the student athletes.
It is a decision which was welcomed by some, including former All Black coach and high school principal Sir Graham Henry.
The decision was revealed today by the principals of the schools involved in the 1A rugby division.
In a statement, they said there needed to be a "strong and necessary emphasis on the wellbeing of students at a time when secondary schools rugby players are being exposed to an unhealthy level of scrutiny in both traditional and social media".
The schools include: St Peter's College, Kelston Boys' High School, Sacred Heart College, DeLa Salle College, Saint Kentigern College, King's College, Mt Albert Grammar School, Dilworth School, Auckland Grammar School, Liston College, Tangaroa College, Aorere College and in 2023, potentially St Paul's College and/or Macleans College.
They also agreed that matches will not be live-streamed on social media and that no media interviews will be given before or during the season by coaches or players.
Select school matches were broadcast live, weekly on Sky Sport during the season.
The Auckland competition's final has also, in recent years, been played at Eden Park and often before a large crowd.
Kelston BHS players celebrate winning the Auckland 1st XV final. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Instead, schools will continue to encourage their student bodies and wider communities to continue to attend games in person.
"As educators, we have become increasingly wary of organisations and individuals seeking to treat secondary schools rugby as an extension of the professional game," Mt Albert Grammar School headmaster Pat Drumm said.
"The 1A schools have taken great strides in recent years in terms of the recruitment of student players, and we see this decision as a natural extension of our responsibility to the sport and to those who play it."
The principals argued the "prestige" of the sport did not require further exposure or commercialisation.
They also insisted it would not disadvantage players who wanted to play professionally and said "those in charge of the professional game should have the necessary resources to evaluate these young men in a live setting".
"In many cases, we are dealing with players as young as 14 or 15, and we do not believe they have the requisite mechanisms to cope with the, at times, unwanted and unregulated attention that has been allowed to develop in this space," De La Salle College principal Myles Hogarty said.
"Too often we have seen the negative impacts of unnecessary hype. Many of our students already feel enormous pressure when they take the field.
"It is our job as principals to create safer environments for all of our students and we believe this course of action is entirely appropriate given what appears to be a greater emphasis than ever on commercialising school sports and the potential exploitation of those who choose to play it."
Henry, a former headmaster at Kelston Boys' who also coached the Auckland Grammar First XV, supported the decision.
"It means these kids will be able to concentrate on developing as players — and as young men — without the spotlight of television being on them," he said.
Former All-Black Coach Sir Graham Henry supported the principals' decision. Photo / Michael Craig
Land Rover New Zealand, who sponsors the Sky broadcast of National First XV Rugby, said they will continue its partnership as the "sponsorship is not only about media reach, it is about celebrating our deep passion for rugby and being part of the rugby communities across the country."
"Land Rover's sponsorship of rugby is ultimately about supporting the grassroots of New Zealand's national sport and highlighting the positive values entrenched in the game such as teamwork, camaraderie and discipline," Luke Meurant, the head of marketing at Land Rover NZ said.
"We fully respect and support the decision made by the Auckland school principals. We are happy to listen to the educators and follow their guidance when it comes to the wellbeing of their individual students."
At this stage, it is unknown if the players and coaches were consulted before the decision was made.
In August, the principals of St Peter's College and Kelston Boys' High banned coaches, staff and players from talking to the Herald in the build-up to the Auckland 1A Premiership final.
Last month, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) made moves to try to take control of secondary school rugby, but the controversial play was met with plenty of resistance.
NZR outlined a vision where it becomes the sole governing body for the secondary school system – responsible for managing and delivering the sport nationwide, triggered by the declining numbers of participation of teens in the sport.
At the time, the principals of the schools involved questioned NZR's motives, given they considered it to be "a corporate entity" given its recent multi-million dollar partnership with Silverlake.
They also argued the attempt by NZR to run school rugby was about having greater control over the development of the elite players and to further commercialise school rugby.
NZR declined to comment on the principals’ decision to end live broadcasting.
