Surely I’m not alone in thinking that playing Super 14 rugby in January is bloody stupid. Sure the weather we have been having lately might suggest that the rugby season is here, but January is a nonsense.
It is my view that those in charge of the game both here in New Zealand and internationally are doing the game a great disservice. They are killing the goose that lays the golden egg.
Last season finished in November – we’ve started again in January – how stupid is that?
Well I remember as a kid, looking forward to the start of the rugby season. And later, I travelled to every test I could get to and those I couldn’t get to, I would be glued to the TV to watch. Now, if I’m home I certainly watch rugby on TV but if I happen to be out that night and miss the Test, then too bad. There will be another one next week.
My old man played every test, bar 2, when he was injured for the All Blacks from 1935 until the Second World War. He got 9 caps. In those days there were just 15 players selected for a test. No emergencies and certainly no substitutions. Now we select 22 players which is about the same as the number of officials who are involved with the team. How stupid is it having a head coach, two assistant coaches, a scrum coach, a kicking coach, a lineout coach, the list goes on.
Over the years the sport has been hijacked. People who used to assist voluntarily have over the years created cushy little paid numbers for themselves.
Mind you, it is not only in rugby we see that sort of thing happening. The days of volunteerism are rapidly fading and that’s sad. Everybody seems to have their hand out these days.
Rugby is now suffering from total over-exposure. My wife who is a real rugby fan refuses to watch rugby at this time. She says the summer sports need their time to shine and I agree with her. Mind you I have to agree with her or I’m in real trouble!
The fact is that the New Zealand rugby supporters are suffering from rugby overload. That view is supported by the spectator figures in places like Canterbury last year. Despite the best players and team in the country, they had to drop ticket prices and give a lot away to get a decent crowd.
Surely that message is not lost on the powers that be in our National Sport.
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