Winter of discontent

Testing times for NZ rugby

While the All Blacks marvelled at Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper in Milan's Santa Maria della Grazie, New Zealand rugby's own backdrop for 2009 hardly qualified as a masterpiece.

For those who gaze at the minute detail of the national team - and sport - a canvas of domestic discontent, fan disillusionment and the re-emergence of the Springboks did not make for a pleasant viewing.

Rugby's plight was illustrated days after the All Blacks were granted a private screening of the Last Supper - a forgettable defeat of Italy at the San Siro proved an unpalatable experience hours after the All Whites' stirring qualification for soccer's World Cup.

While soccer will never usurp rugby as the country's premier sport, with rugby's World Cup less than two years away the supposed stadium of `four million people' has plenty of rows needing filling.

The Auckland and Canterbury unions were fortunate their grounds were under redevelopment for the World Cup and parts of the seating off limits, such was the lack of enthusiasm at a half-built Eden Park and AMI Stadium.

Waikato, Wellington, Otago ... North Harbour, apathy was rife. Only where provinces were under threat of demotion/extinction were there bums on seats week after week -- well, in Manawatu and Tasman, not so Counties Manukau and Northland.

The deconstruction of the four-year-old Air NZ Cup blurred the provincial landscape from the kick off on July 30 until December 11, when Rugby Union (NZRU) chief executive Steve Tew gritted his teeth as his vision of a 10-team top division was shelved by the board, after threats of legal action by unions earmarked for exclusion.

There were also doubts about the ability of two Heartland provinces to join the proposed six-team "second-tier" competition for 2010.

While the NZRU board's sticking with the status quo next season was a slight on Tew's stewardship, far from being placed in an untenable position he will survive to instead see a modified two-tier competition come into play in 2011.

The top seven teams, based on their finishing position next season, will contest the Premiership; the next seven the Championship.

The winner of that competition will be promoted in 2012 at the expense of the bottom-placed Premiership province.

This scenario emerged from negotiations on a new collective agreement between the NZRU and the New Zealand Rugby Players' Association-- though provinces might still kick up a fuss if they miss the Championship cut.

Uncertainty over the future of a rugby showpiece that once formed the bedrock of New Zealand's success on paddocks around the world encapsulated a season of discontent, a winter where once cherished provincial rivalries barely registered in the public consciousness.

The NZRU could not even rely on their signature `brand' to provide a cure-all; 2009 was not one of the All Blacks finest.

True, they finished their Northern Hemisphere test schedule with a flourish in Marseille though, as Cardiff proved two years ago, thrashing France in France between World Cups does not necessarily translate to success when it matters.

Mirroring the 2008 Grand Slam excursion, the All Blacks completed their end-of-year tour without conceding a try in the tests as Wales, Italy, England and the French were unable to breach a black blanket defence.

It may have been a happy ending for Graham Henry -- and it was vital after the All Blacks handed over the Tri-Nations silverware to South Africa.

A season-opening loss to France at a crumbling fortress Carisbrook, then three comprehensive defeats by world champions South Africa had the All Blacks in danger of plumbing the depths of 1949 and 1998.

Fortunately former All Blacks fullback Robbie Deans unwittingly came to the rescue, his Wallabies were again incapable of lasting the distance in Auckland, Sydney, Wellington and finally Tokyo.

The Henry-Deans rivalry started ominously when the Wallabies blitzed the All Blacks at Sydney in the opening Bledisloe of 2008 but New Zealand has since won seven on the bounce, mana from heaven for Henry and the NZRU.

But the South Africans, who won the Tri-Nations for the first time since 2004, had the All Blacks measure, at home and in Hamilton.

Those losses prompted an internal review of the coaching structure and a swapping of roles between Henry, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith to be road tested on the trip north.

Untouchable since their reappointment after the 2007 World Cup disappointment, even they recognised change was necessary, however cosmetic.

Hansen's handling of the forwards, especially the lineout, drew the greatest scrutiny, Smith's flat backline policy was also under fire after as try production was stunted.

Hansen, a former centre, took over the backs while Henry tried to fix the set piece deficiencies, leaving Smith with maintaining a stingy defensive structure.

The three wise men's success in Europe helped enable the All Blacks to end the year as the No 1 ranked team, captain Richie McCaw was proclaimed the world's greatest player but with the World Cup less than two years away the Springbok needs to be corralled.

From the highveldt to the foot of Table Mountain rugby is thriving in the Republic. The Bulls provided the platform for the year of the Bok, as they did in 2007, by winning the Super 14 and denting New Zealand pride by dealing to the Crusaders and Chiefs -- by a record 61-17 -- in the semis and final.

The light blue throng that converges on Loftus Versfeld must make provincial chief executives in New Zealand green with envy.

Only 12,000 witnessed Canterbury winning back-to-back provincial rugby titles for the first time, though at least that was a sizeable improvement on the smattering that turned up to watch Southland lift Ranfurly Shield for the first time in 50 years.

Thursday, October 22 will be writ large in the history of Southland rugby and the welcome the Log received in Invercargill, Mataura, Gore and all points in between at least showed in these difficult times the country's oldest trophy still has the ability to stir the emotions.

- NZPA