Lindsay Knight: Provinces show true soul of rugby

In rugby's heyday, when there was no doubt what was New Zealand's dominant sport, it was almost an article of faith that the game's success was due to its pyramid structure.

At the base were the clubs and schoolboy teams; in the centre the various representative sides; and at the apex, the All Blacks, who, it was believed with unshakeable conviction, were strong only because of what was beneath them.

In recent years, in the mad stampede to professionalism, this truism has been turned on its head, and some of the resulting counteraction from an estranged grassroots may have been a bigger contributor to rugby's administrative crisis than just the loss of the World Cup hosting rights.

The ailments afflicting club competitions in recent years may have gone too deep for any effective remedy. Plainly, leading players can have no more than minimal involvement with their clubs because of the demands on them at All Black, Super 12, Maori and even international sevens levels.

But it is not too late to make a stand over provincial representative rugby, especially the national provincial championship, to ensure it remains the All Blacks' main feeder.

That means firmly resisting any steps to remove the All Blacks from the NPC by whatever national administration emerges from the present mess.

There are many eminent people in New Zealand rugby who believe the NPC is more important than the Super 12. Among them is former All Black captain and past president of the Auckland union John Graham and the All Black centre Tana Umaga.

They are probably right, and certainly most of rugby's problems of cluttered programmes and player fatigue can be attributed to the Super 12. But the harsh reality is that, because of the television revenue it generates, rugby could no longer remain professional without the Super 12.

The points made by Graham, Umaga and others, though, are still valid.

Provincial rugby, whether for the NPC or Ranfurly Shield, is the element that has shaped the All Blacks and, because it has involved all New Zealand rugby, has been closer to its heartbeat.

In many of the great provincial sides, it has been possible to see New Zealand rugby's soul. That certainly is not the case with the geographical conglomerates which are the Super 12 franchises.

How does someone from Bay of Plenty or Counties-Manukau identify with the Chiefs when they are driven by Waikato? How does a Southlander cheer for the Highlanders when no one from his province is in even the squad?

And a few seasons ago, how were Northlanders supposed to back the Blues when more players from their union were involved with the Crusaders?

Significantly, the most successful Super 12 side has been the Crusaders, which has been based almost exclusively on just the one NPC first division union, Canterbury.

An appealing aspect of New Zealand's rugby provinces used to be their diversity.

If the corporate marketers who have hijacked rugby continue unchecked, this will be lost. Indeed, the Australian who headed New Zealand rugby in 1996-99, David Moffett, despite having no mandate, was bent on overhauling the NPC and eliminating the third division through artificial amalgamations.

Was the object to make New Zealand rugby more like Australia, with no more than two sides in the North Island and one in the South, similar to New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory?

The Boston Report, the blueprint produced in 1994 by an Australian company for New Zealand's move to professionalism, also advocated a reduction in provincial sides. But in going to eight premier sides, there was no explanation what was to be the destiny of provincial unions, some with glorious pasts, such as Hawkes Bay, Southland and Northland.

Not long after the report, a merger of sorts was tried, between Hawkes Bay and Manawatu, but after two years and big financial losses, the Central Vikings were disbanded.

Anomalies abound in the provincial system, and there is a startling contrast between those at the top and those at the bottom.

But it is easy to sit in an office in Auckland or Wellington and wonder at the logic of having two unions with dwindling populations in West Coast and Buller.

Yet combining them is only going to produce one weak team instead of two, and the travel logistics would be horrendous.

Some years ago, the NZRFU commissioned a provincial boundaries investigation chaired by Graham. The conclusion was to stay with the status quo because in too many instances - merging West Coast and Buller for example - the cures were worse than the original ailment.

A continued NPC, and in three divisions, is critical to rugby's wellbeing.

If any justification is needed for smaller unions, it is that they continue producing quality players even if they now move to bigger unions. Christian Cullen, Leon MacDonald, Ben Blair and Carlos Spencer are examples.

A reminder of the importance of provincial rugby can be gained by going to the Auckland Yellow Pages and seeing how many commercial and sports organisations are now called North Harbour.

Until the formation of the Harbour union in 1985, the burgeoning suburbs on the northern side of the bridge had no such name or identity apart from generic references to the Shore.

This illustrates the great achievement of provincial unions: for more than 100 years they have been the best means of giving regions and districts a sense of community.