Having spent the last few months in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France, one theme stood out once I had introduced myself as a New Zealander. Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC11). There is a real expectation out there that New Zealand, the home of modern rugby, will put on the best cup yet and I wasn’t too sure how to respond to it. Should I focus on the positives of our country? The scenery, the friendly people, our culture, the small towns. Or, heaven forbid, talk about the game? The small crowds, the complicated rules, the distinct lack of flair exhibited in matches that actually matter and so on. Well I tried to be upbeat but I could sense a certain amount of doubt in my audience, perhaps they were simply mirroring my own shaky convictions.
Now I’m not suggesting for a moment that we don’t care about our national game or have anything but high hopes for the tournament, outside of the obvious desire for victory of course. I do however worry that in our current position New Zealand has neither the individual resources nor the drive to really pull this one off. 2008 was a far cry from 1987, when the mere live televising of an international amateur sports tournament was a huge event in its own right, and expectations for 2011 are very, very high.
The government appears wholly committed to investment in RWC11. The ball started rolling with a confident bid for the rights and since then they’ve maintained the momentum alongside the New Zealand Rugby Union with upgrades of a number of parks and facilities including Eden Park. 23 separate towns and cities around the country will be hosting games over the five weeks, a decision that’s caused a lot of excitement in our smaller communities. Hopefully its inspired a few rugby fans in the city centres as well.
Lets look at my own union however. A population of 380000, one of the newest stadiums in the country, and thanks to the large population of South African New Zealanders, hosting a marquee side for the pool round. North Harbour RFU serves to illustrate RWC11’s proverbial ‘elephant in the room’, which is the question of just how many New Zealander’s are actually going to buy tickets to the matches? We don’t go and watch our own sides play rugby anymore and you can name your reason why. People don’t like night games, the tickets are too expensive, I’ve already paid for sky, its not a very attractive game anymore and the list goes on.
Expand this scenario out of my union, infamous in my eyes for having a supporter base that failed to galvanise even after The Shield had been won from Canterbury and held for the first time. With the notable exception of Wellington, weather dependant, the larger unions and the Super14 franchises have failed to get the expected numbers at games, with big matches that would have sold out in yesteryear struggling to get a decent crowd. All this doesn’t lend itself to the likelihood that New Zealand, an apathetic nation at the best of times, is going to be able to repeat, lest alone better, the pubic attendance that helped make Australia in 2003 such a popular success.
As far as our fellow rugby fans in Europe and Australia are concerned it’s the status quo. The All Blacks continue to dominate, our domestic game is the envy of the rugby world and our players are dominating in the overseas competitions. We need to keep it this way. We have a responsibility as New Zealanders to play our part in making sure RWC11 is a success. As I’ve alluded to, rugby isn’t in the best of shape, and as competition increases for the almighty dollar our sport needs to maintain its status as a credible and entertaining global spectator sport.
Here’s the plan. Firstly we need to develop and maintain some spectator momentum, which means getting out from behind the TV and getting to some games this season. Lets watch our players developing, start engaging with our clubs and unions about what we expect them to do to support the NZRU in delivering RWC11, and how we can help. We can’t take it for granted that tens of thousands of tourists will come to this country, spend lots of money, go to all the games and make it a success, those fans will only come here if they know it will be worth their while.
Any regional affiliations or club associations haven’t been announced yet but they will be. When they are, be prepared to get involved. The players, the WAGs, family, support staff and supporters will need to feel welcome not only for the teams to play at their best but also to communicate positive messages back to the rest of the world. Whilst it will ultimately be up to the councils and unions to formulate these plans there will be a lot that we can do, so start letting your local representatives know what your expectations for your World Cup are.
All of that aside however, while the quality of the game is very important the success of RWC11 will be decided by the level of support for the games in New Zealand. How many bums fill how many seats will be the make or break of our World Cup. Without sounding too dramatic, we are the home of modern rugby, and if this sport doesn’t come right in our country, where it counts, then it’s on a downhill slope.
Global expectations are high for RWC11. The games had its ups and downs over the last few years, no countries more so than ours but it has a great heritage. New Zealand’s politicians have committed to ensuring its a success and its time the people did their bit. Commit some time, effort, and dare I say it some money to this important activity, and make sure that the rugby fans from around the world realise that we are proud to be the home of modern rugby.
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