Having just returned from a few weeks in New Zealand, visiting all major rugby areas except Wellington, it appeared to me that interest in the game is on the wane.
Looking at the crowds at the New Zealand Super 14 venues, they seem quite poor compared to last year.
It was only in Christchurch that there seemed any passion for their home team. It was there that anyone really wore the colours of their home team. There was also RWC2011 advertising in the main square, which showed that the locals cared.
I did not see a single Blues Guernsey being worn in Auckland or Rotorua, but did see lots of Warriors league Guernseys and English soccer shirts in both places. In Hamilton, a couple of Chiefs polo shirts were noticed.
Even at the All Black shop, the Warrior league strip was on sale.
However, in all places there was a smattering of black shirts. A lot had the words “All Blacks” under the silver fern, but then again, a lot simply said “New Zealand”.
There is a rugby channel on pay TV but I did not get the opportunity to see it. On the TV I did get to see, there was little rugby, only Super 14 and the European Six Nations.
What was being shown was replays of Australian league games and EPL soccer games. Pubs advertised to come and watch the EPL games on their screens.
The Manly league team has done a deal to have all their games shown on Maori TV, a sign that league is expanding quite well, particularly along the Auckland-Rororua axis.
Rugby posts could be seen in most schools and some parks, but a lot more soccer posts had appeared in open areas and parkland than I remember since my last visit.
Dave
Guest
The figures are for pay tv and its not shown on fta.
MV Dave
Guest
'The Phoenix’s audiences have also been relatively small, despite the club enjoying a golden period' As l understand it the WPs games arent live on FTA (or are these pay TV figures?)...they have shown the replays of the finals games on FTA...is that what the figures relate to?
LH
Guest
Audience numbers game adds up on box By GREG FORD - Sunday Star Times Last updated 05:00 07/03/2010 Rattled rugby officials battling for the hearts and minds of sporting fans can breathe a big sigh of relief: TV ratings for the opening rounds of the Super rugby season are encouragingly buoyant. Three matches have already attracted audiences of in excess of 200,000 viewers. While that doesn't compare with the halcyon days of the competition when it regularly attracted audiences of 300,000-plus, it is a healthy gain on last year and the year before, in a market crammed with competition. Both football and cricket have garnered a huge following this year but that interest is not translating into all-important ratings. Although the All Whites' match against Mexico screened in a rating dead zone (a 5pm weekday kick-off) it still attracted a dismally small audience. Only 26,000 Kiwis, or a 0.7% share of the total available audience, tuned in. Both of the six o'clock bulletins on the two major free-to-air news networks were unaffected by the scheduling clash. The Phoenix's audiences have also been relatively small, despite the club enjoying a golden period. A shade under 50,000 Kiwis watched their thrilling penalty shootout victory over the Perth Glory a fortnight ago, 1.2% of the audience share. Cricket is faring better. The Black Caps' Twenty20 win over Australia last Sunday attracted 170,000 viewers, their biggest audience of the summer by a considerable margin, a feat New Zealand Cricket trumpeted in a press release last week. It pointed out the average audience for Super rugby that same weekend was less than 70,000. But that comparison was a little unfair. It included matches, featuring Australian and South African sides, of little significance to Kiwi audiences. It also omitted to mention the four largest audiences of the sporting year belong to rugby. The biggest (222,000) was for the Crusaders' win over the Highlanders in round two. The opening match of the season between the Hurricanes and Blues drew 207,000 and the Highlanders v Blues on February 19 had 211,000 viewers. They are big numbers by anyone's standard but rugby officials are wary they can't become complacent. The viewing figures in recent weeks will ensure they won't rest on their laurels. The arrival of South African and Australian teams saw ratings drop: the Crusaders-Sharks game attracted 132,000 viewers, the Hurricanes-Force garnered 183,000, and 163,000 watched the Hurricanes beat the Lions. Those figures best illustrate why next year's Super rugby competition will feature more local derbies. They rate considerably better, which translates into more revenue from the game's paymaster, News Ltd. News is due to announce it has renewed and increased the value of its broadcasting agreement with Sanzar later this month. Ad Feedback The New Zealand Rugby Union took the unprecedented step last month of including in its top five priorities of the year, improving TV ratings and crowd numbers at games. Today's A-league playoff in Wellington is a sellout, something rugby has failed to do so far this season. Further pressure will come in June when football's World Cup clashes with the All Blacks' opening tests of the season. The re-emergence of the New Zealand Maori side will help aggregate numbers. It is set to play a couple of internationals against Wales in June. http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/3414191/Audience-numbers-game-adds-up-on-box Jake, thanks for that BS.
LH
Guest
I don't know what happen to New Plymouth Boys because they were one of the best schools from the Central NI region in the past but have not won the Super 8 yet. Gisbourne Boys High to rise again in 2010.
LH
Guest
You leaguies seem to turn a blind eye when your code is been challenged. Im saying that AFL has more clubs and juniors players in Fiji than rugby league. There are more schools playing AFL than rugby league. Don't get upset at me matty s if your sport fail to develop. If your defenition of most rugby union like to give league a go is true then there should be 30,000 rugby league players in Fiji. But its not even anywhere near that. Not 20,000, 10,000, 5000, 2500 or even 1000. Come to Fiji and you will see that rugby league is only a minor sport played by a few rugby union villages in the countryside and by rugby union players in some schools. Vodafone also sponsors basketball, school and club AFL, softball, hockey, boxing and cricket. Rugby league coverage of one NRL game a week are only on pay TV and they don't show any local rugby league on any TV. Compared that school rugby, club, provincial, Pacific Cup rugby, Pacific nations cup, local 7's, international 7's, Super 14, NPC and international matches shown live on free to air tv for 12 months . Jarryd Hayne might be a star in NSW and Queensland but here in Fiji he is not Waisale Serevi, Napolioni Nalaga, Caucau, Little, William Ryder, Dalesau, 7's stars or 15's internationals players. The majority of the population wouldn't know who Haynes is because he doesn't live in Fiji. Tuquri been here in the past he wasn't swamp by locals because rugby league stars in Australia are nobobys here in Fiji.
Jerry
Guest
It's not.
Ben J
Guest
Ouch OJ!
Ora
Guest
New Plymouth Boys High School to take out the Super 8.........maybe lol
MyGeneration
Roar Guru
Sheek, I'm with you. If you need religion, go to church. Some people seem to have replaced one version of faith with another, or just added sport on to their existing faith. Not sure what to make of this desire to be seen as the most one-eyed, fanatical, borderline psychotic, sporting zealots of all! Mind you, some sections of the crowd at Australian rugby games could maybe show they care a little more. There's a reason they're called RahRahs!
rugbyfuture
Roar Guru
I agree that the upper class doesnt cheer well at all
W-Lions
Guest
St Pats Silverstream College Wellington will take it out this year.
BigAl
Guest
What Aus. lacks to generate this 'passion' is the poverty stricken demographic !
Mr Fuji
Guest
I can't wait for the school rugby season to kick off. Some games would be shown live on Sky TV this year thanks to former rugby league player Ken Laban. Go Palmerston Norths .
cookie
Guest
What kind of idiot rugby organization sells league jumpers? (assuming it is owned by nzru)
Matt S
Guest
LH, tell the truth. Don't decend into lies. Even a neutral could tell you the remarkable rise of lesgue in Fiji. It has TV coverage, major sponsorship in vodapone, and most union players like to give it a go. AFL more popular, yeah, your credibility went with that comment! Put Jarryd Hayne on the main stree tof Fiji and he'd be swamped now!
ohtani's jacket
Guest
They have to fly to South Africa to win a game.
LH
Guest
Corey, Im half Fijian and I live in Fiji. Its a rugby union country and a rugby union is a religion in Fiji . The majority of those rugby union players play soccer in the off-season. Rugby league is only a minority sport here . Its way down after rugby, soccer, netball, basketball, hockey, volleyball and even afl.
Mr Fuji
Guest
Jumping on the Pheonix success ain't going to help you Jake. I know many rugby union fans who also going to the Pheonix game and also attended one day cricket. We might not stab each other with knifes and burn each others colours to show our love for our national game but we do love our rugby and the All Blacks. Do you know rugby union tests and NPC makes up most of the top 100 most watched programme in NZ ever. A cousin of mine from Australia couldn't believe how fanatic we are with rugby union and the All Blacks. If you stop your hating for our national sport then you might understand . Its obvious you have a painful experience with rugby union in the past.
Mr Fuji
Guest
Thats what you league guys will be saying. If Fiji love all sports then why aren't there 10,000 rugby league players or all schools in Fiji playing rugby league ? Why are there only a couple of pub teams and school kids playing rugby league which is less than 1000 playing ? Rugby union is a religion in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and NZ. Live with it.
Ben J
Guest
What does a team like the Highlanders have to do to pull a crowd of thirty thousand. Oh yes, fly to South Africa...