D'Arcy Waldegrave: How NZ Rugby's money leaves the club game short changed

Aotea v Clive at Rugby Park in Dannevirke. Photo / Hawke's Bay Today

OPINION:

Seven-and-a-half million dollars sounds like a lot of money. But how much is it really, once it's been spread around all the rugby clubs of New Zealand?

Depending on where you sit, this act of largesse from NZ Rugby is either a sugar-coated pacifier or a much-needed helping hand from the freshly restocked war chest.

Applications are open for grants of between $10,000 and $40,000, depending on the size of the club concerned. At this stage it's a one off to celebrate the Silver Lake windfall and prove to the clubs that they are important to the health of All Black rugby.

There are more than 450 rugby clubs in New Zealand, all of which are in line for this cash injection. There are caveats of course, NZ Rugby believe that the individual clubs are in the best place to ascertain where the cash is best utilised. Maybe a paint job, new showers, pay down debt or buy a kit for the juniors. There is to be no paying of players, hiring of support staff or tours to be paid for out of the fund.

Is it enough though, and what will it achieve?

If your rugby club requires new changing facilities to support the increase in women players, it probably isn't. If your club needs outdoor lights, again probably not. If your club needs to placate the financial barbarians at the gate, that money may help, depending on the fiscal millstone the club has hanging around their neck. But if you got yourself into a hole, who's to say it won't happen again?

Some scream that $7,500,000 is simply not enough to solve the woes at a grassroots level. Others say that every little bit helps for a group that is used to surviving on volunteers' muscle, burnt sausages and diesel fumes.

The question is how capable are community-based clubs of making the right decision? How much assistance is required by these clubs from NZ Rugby through the provincial unions to ensure this meat pack is divvied out to the greatest benefit of the clubs?

It's all very well handing out money, but without structure and guidance, these horses being led to water will soon be thirsty once again. The emphasis must be on NZ Rugby to ensure that this contribution provides meaningful benefit to the recipients, not just a feel-good sugar hit.

I can't help but think that survival of the clubs becomes an exercise in Darwinism. With so many clubs in Aotearoa, the anecdotal evidence around falling player numbers and endless alternatives for entertainment and health, it's hardly plausible to retain that number long term.

The halcyon days of rugby clubs being the centre of communities have long gone. The only constant is change, hanging on to tradition serves no purpose to the game or the communities it once served. Maybe small rural outposts can still maintain that connection, but within the urban choke is it even possible?

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the problems faced by rugby clubs. Money will only go so far. Some clubs will jump at the opportunity and squeeze every drop of value out of it; others take it and spend it and hope for another handout.

Falling registrations, increased apathy around the game and the herd of concussed elephants in the room are problems that can't be solved by volunteer goodwill and a couple of bucks. These are huge issues that need to be tackled centrally if the game has any palpable future in this country.