Interest in rugby has never been so low, in my opinion, but interest in one rugby man not often so high.
Crusaders coach Scott Robertson celebrates winning the Super Rugby Aotearoa 2021 title. Photosport
Not since New Zealand rugby had David Kirk's boyishly handsome features to thank in the late 1980s - as rugby emerged from the shameful Cavaliers tour of South Africa - has one man made such a PR difference.
People who simply don't care about rugby - a rapidly growing segment of New Zealand society - know about Scott Robertson. He's blessed with the X-factor.
And he took a personal victory walk of sorts, descending through an adoring crowd as the Super Rugby final headed to the final whistle on Saturday night.
The man really can coach.
The Crusaders have kept their playing standards and energy levels at a peak, through five consecutive titles under Robertson. This is some feat.
With the other New Zealand franchises failing to sustain anything remotely similar, we've become a two-team town: the All Blacks and the Crusaders.
Crusaders coach Scott Robertson celebrates celebrate winning the Super Rugby Aotearoa 2021. Photosport
The good news doesn't end there, but it doesn't go much further either.
The first half of Saturday night's Super Rugby Aotearoa final in Christchurch was often superb. Rugby can be the greatest game of all.
The opening stanza included the crazy sight of a 12-man Chiefs lineout somehow creating an overlap try on the other side of the field. There were some blistering, inventive early exchanges.
As for the second half – not so good, as rugby went back to being a bore.
The game ground to a halt, as rugby games so often do. This is one reason why people are leaving in droves.
There are even some new problems.
The captains' challenges led to endless replays – it may have been quicker to refer the incidents to the Privy Council.
Moments of brilliance, most notably a wondrous Richie Mo'unga counter attack, were few and far between. Tries? What are they? Goalkicks, both successful and missed, became the centerpiece.
The plot came to centre on two yellow cards issued against the Crusaders, at which point the Chiefs, who appeared primed for a victorious surge, unravelled once their role as plucky underdog had disappeared.
The two-man disadvantage brought out the best in the champs, as they knuckled down to business and smashed their way to a fifth consecutive title.
The tension was high, the creative rugby low.
What comes next? Super Rugby, transtasman style. Help.
