This column will upset some people in their well-paid jobs as the leaders of rugby in New Zealand. And I really hope it does.
I am talking about the struggling state of rugby at all levels in New Zealand. We were once world leaders, innovators, the best at it, then all that changed. The All Blacks brand has diminished and the era of invincibility is long gone.
The reasons for this decline are complex and can’t be narrowed down to one thing or even a few things, but one thing is immediately obvious. Other sports have emerged, they’re safer and less physical, and keep evolving and modernising.
It makes a compelling argument to our young people as to why rugby no longer rules – although the Black Ferns have captured the imaginations of female players and spectators. But for far too long men’s rugby rested on its laurels (and still does), thinking people would show up to play and watch no matter what.
But that’s no longer true in a society that’s far more diverse and with so many more options competing for our time and leisure dollar. We are also acutely aware now of the impact of brain injuries and concussions. Young boys, in particular, have been kept from the game by parents who said, ‘bugger this, try golf, it pays even when you finish 50th. And you won’t get head injuries’.
The School Sport Survey from 2023 shows netball remains the most popular sport in our secondary schools with 26,950 students involved, followed by basketball (26,572), volleyball (24,970), rugby (24,930), and football (22,350).
We have more school students playing volleyball than rugby - who knew?
As in other years, netball was the most popular for girls followed by volleyball and, rugby was the most popular for boys followed by basketball. Other sports that have shown significant increases nationally during the last two years include volleyball – 11%, futsal – 10%, rugby 7’s – 100%, touch – 13% and badminton 7%.
Last year, my eldest son represented Northland in its under 16 rugby side. But it wasn’t enough to keep him in the game and he has returned to competing in CrossFit tournaments. He couldn’t be kept in the game despite huge connections with rugby - his grandfather and great uncle were All Blacks in the late 1970s, and rugby is firmly in the DNA on both sides of his family. It’s only ever been a passing interest to him.
My youngest boy is a rugby diehard and convert, he loves it after playing seven years of rugby league. He plays for his college’s under-15 side in the top Auckland competition. His two great-grandfathers played for the NZ Māori All Blacks in the 1960s and as I write this, he is in a half-day leadership camp with the Blues at their Auckland training HQ after being invited by his school’s rugby director.
Back when I was a young rugby fanatic, we used to run on the field after games and get autographs. But at 14, this is his first chance to meet the top professional players, to genuinely rub shoulders and meet these guys. It could be hugely significant to his motivation and the way he sees the sport.
It’s a great little perk and I’m pleased he can peek around behind closed doors and see what it takes to get to the top and what it all looks like.
But this stuff is rare in rugby these days. We used to turn up at school holiday rugby camps hosted by All Blacks. I never see this now. Why not?
Where are the skills and knowledge being passed down? Who is stopping this from happening? Has going professional made it impossible for players to do this because of what’s in their contracts?
These young men are easily led and if we don’t capture their imagination and interest while we have this small window of opportunity, we will lose them to the next offer. We need to ensure we’re putting incentives in front of them. Or someone or something else will get there first.
As a youngster, I played representative rugby at all age group levels for our province and it was a real buzz being selected and travelling to play other unions. My earliest memory is being picked for the North Harbour under-13s, as a 12-year-old and our prop was Trevor Leota - who went on to be a much-celebrated Manu Samoa front rower and he played in England.
We played against future All Blacks like Adrian Cashmore, current coach Scott Robertson, Jason Spice, Mark ‘Sharky’ Robinson, and Royce Willis.
But these age group rep teams have been ditched in favour of just wider participation. Excellence and rep teams apparently drives boys out of the sport if and when they miss out, so the focus has been on just getting playing numbers up.
I personally think ditching these pathways has been a big mistake but I’m sure there is some expert around who will tell me I’m wrong. Surely we need to offer our young men these incentives to also show them what success and bettering yourself leads to?
We need to reward them so they can team up with the best players across their region in forming these representative teams. It teaches them about much more than just rugby. It means they meet other boys outside their current friend group and form wider friendships.
Roller Mills was a celebrated youth tournament that lasted 100 years, then unions walked away from it to drive participation before excellence. It means that now the first real chance to play other school sides from different regions are the various under-15 tournaments. I urge NZ Rugby, or whoever overseas, to lock these in and keep them. The boys simply love the chance to attend these premier tournaments.
The first New Zealand age-group sides our schoolboys can make is the NZ Secondary School side and if they leave school then the NZ under-18 team which is being picked for the first time this year.
It’s serious if you’re picked for those sides. It means you’re very good and could potentially go on to be an All Black but it’s not automatic and indeed still rare to transition from the top NZ school side and become an All Black. That’s how hard it is.
But it’s the first real pathway offered to our best players. And it’s too late. Here’s why: Rugby league is only too aware of the opening rugby has allowed and is getting in first to pick off the talent. In many ways, it’s wilful neglect from rugby.
Auckland-based league scouts are at all the league and school rugby games doing the hard work for the Aussie clubs, and openly raiding some of our best, fastest, biggest and most skilful players. My son is seeing his mates choose rugby league because of the deals they offer their best players.
One of his closest mates has signed, as a 14-year-old, for an Australian NRL club and moves to Sydney later this year with his mum who has used the opportunity to resign from her 25-year career in the NZ police. Lose - lose for NZ. At least three more boys, all in their teens, he knows have contracts with Australian league clubs. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say at least 10 of the biggest, fastest and most skilful 14- and 15-year-old boys playing either rugby league or rugby in Auckland right now will have signed contracts to move to Australia next year.
Remember that’s 10 this year. Another 10 next year. And repeat.
In a fierce fight for relevance, and with rugby seemingly complacent, rugby league continues to dangle carrots in front of our young men. Sometimes the offer isn’t much more than the opportunity to be taken on by a club, but there’s a chance and isn’t that the dream?
Rugby also has access issues in that pricing keeps some families away and it still is dominated by old boys and their networks so it can come across as highly political and aloof. It means rugby needs to keep reviewing itself, asking if it’s still relevant to the players and compelling for those watching. If the answer is no and no, which is correct, then it needs to keep at it.
Rugby was everything to me once and I loved the game. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy it but not to the extent I once did. It frustrates me more than anything now. The way it’s played, managed, run and presented to us.
We need fresh approaches otherwise we will see the game eventually die. In our focus and infatuation with professional rugby, we have forgotten referees whose numbers are reducing, and we have forgotten our young players, arrogantly thinking rugby is compelling so they will always be there. Wrong.
Rugby is in the fight of its life. It’s no different to all the other industries and workplaces. To win this it needs new energy, fresh thinking, some big ears to listen with, it needs agility and an open mind. It genuinely needs to offer our young men and women more than it does and it needs to drop institutional complacency. It needs to be honest with itself. And accountable. When something is broken, fix it.
Good luck.
