Auckland Rugby is tapping into a hitherto untapped market as it looks to use the sport as tool for inclusion across its diverse region.
In conjunction with New Zealand Rugby and ATEED, the ARU have run an international student programme for the last fortnight. Based at either Eden Park or nearby Nixon Park, 28 international tertiary students from the Auckland region have taken time out most mornings to learn about rugby from basic skills and drills, how rugby is such an important part of Kiwi culture, played games of tag, and had te reo classes. On Wednesday they were addressed by Keven Mealamu on rugby's values and how the game shaped him as a leader.
As you can imagine, there are a diverse range of nations, from Central American countries to China to Eastern Europe, most from non-traditional rugby communities. Many had never picked up a ball in their life but were chosen after a 'Have a Go' day on June 25.
There are around 80,000 international secondary or tertiary students in the Auckland region, so you can see the potential if even a small percentage of them took to rugby, especially in an area identified as being of high strategic importance to New Zealand Rugby.
"It's a massive captive market. A lot of students who come to Auckland know New Zealanders love the All Blacks, but the opportunities to get involved are limited, so we need to reach out to these communities and tailor these opportunities," says Auckland Rugby's head of participation development Simon Devoy, formerly of New Zealand Rugby, whose strategies in the Auckland region dovetail nicely with this programme.