Editorial: Rugby concern

OPINION: Canterbury's reputation for being the most successful provincial rugby union in New Zealand was reinforced on Saturday evening, when it lifted the Air New Zealand Cup trophy yet again.

Canterbury's reputation for being the most successful provincial rugby union in New Zealand was reinforced on Saturday evening, when it lifted the Air New Zealand Cup trophy yet again. This triumph was a tribute to the skill and professionalism of the men in red and black as well as the coaching staff.

Much has been made of the strong culture of the Canterbury team and rightly so. It has a healthy work ethic and the players are determined not to let their team-mates down. This positive culture is clearly infectious, as shown by the number of the players who shift to the province and fit swiftly and smoothly into the team and improve their performances.

But there was a discordant note to the final as the passion of the team did not translate into an equally passionate response from rugby followers with this pinnacle of the provincial competition attracting just 13,000 spectators. This must be a major concern for the Canterbury Rugby Football Union and the New Zealand Rugby Union.

The poor attendance suggests that, despite the team's successes, it has lost contact with many Cantabrians. Contrast the crowd on Saturday with the 55,000 spectators who watched the final of the Currie Cup, which is South Africa's provincial competition.

And CRFU membership is substantially below the many thousands of members that, for example, Australian Rules or rugby league teams across the Tasman, where there is a fanatical sense of identity with teams, can attract.

The real provincial passions are now more apparent in a union such as Southland, as it lifted the Ranfurly Shield, or in those fighting to avoid relegation.

There are some obvious reasons for the poor crowd at the final. In tight economic times ticket prices and the costs of food, beverages and transport will be a deterrent. Sky's preference for evening games for commercial reasons is a turn-off for many rugby supporters, who might have gone to the game had it been played in the afternoon.

The absence of so many All Blacks from the final and many preceding games is another factor in the low attendances at AMI Stadium. This, as well as public confusion over several of the game's key rules, contributes to the lack of the big event atmosphere needed today to draw the big crowds.

But the CRFU has also contributed to many rugby supporters, who were once die-hard fans, no longer closely identifying with the team. Although the playing abilities of the top players are admired, they have become increasingly remote.

Last Thursday, players did circulate in the city's malls but this was to drum up ticket sales. This sort of exposure needs to become far more common and there should also be greater numbers of open training sessions.

As the domestic season drew to a close the NZRU was considering selling off the super rugby franchises. One impact of this could be that treating a team like the Crusaders as a commercial commodity would also dilute the grassroots sense of identity with it.

And given the close links between the Crusaders and the Canterbury team this might prove a further impediment to the CRFU succeeding in the essential task of winning back the hearts of the province's rugby followers.

- © Fairfax NZ News