It used to be said in rugby circles that when Auckland was strong, New Zealand was strong. These days New Zealand rugby is strong but its followers everywhere, waiting seemingly forever for the Blues to return to something like their former glory, are asking, "What's wrong with Auckland?"
The question has added weight because Auckland-bred players have a habit of popping up as emerging stars for Super Rugby teams in other regions, posing the more precise question, what is wrong with the recruitment and development of players in our largest city?
The former headmaster of Mt Albert Grammar School, Dale Burden, offered a disturbing answer in our pages on Tuesday. He was writing not only of rugby but football and netball, too. He blamed a failure of their Auckland organisations to form good relationships with schools, particularly the schools that regularly dominate national competitions in these sports, the likes of St Kentigern, Auckland Grammar, Westlake Boys and Sacred Heart, as well as his MAGS, "arguably the best sporting school in the country".
Claims such as that are in the best competitive spirit of sport in the rest of the country but it seems to be lacking at a higher level in Auckland. That impression is gained not just from the performance of its representative teams but also the crowds. With the notable exception of Warriors supporters, Auckland sports fans are quiet spectators, many perhaps with divided loyalties, having grown up in other parts of the country. Or it may just be relative size that makes Aucklanders less parochial.