Rugby: why is our national game in decline?

New Zealand’s national game is feeling the pinch – not just from the recession but also waning public support.

A new Campbell Live poll conducted by Buzz TV has found almost half of all respondents say rugby no longer interests them as much as it used to.

And it is a trend that has far reaching consequences for all levels of the game.

There was plenty of passion at Ponsonby Rugby Club’s midweek training. The freezing midwinter evening was no obstacle for a group of committed youngsters.

Like many local clubs around the country Ponsonby is in good health, with registrations at an all time high.

But move up to provincial level and the picture changes.

Counties Manukau is one of a number struggling to survive.

The club has a proud heritage, seven current All Blacks have played there, as did former All Black greats like Jonah Lomu and Joeli Vidiri.

“Counties is like a home to me… I really enjoyed my time. People here are comrades,” says Vidiri.

“Every success that I had started from here before I moved to Auckland during the Blues era and Counties Union – that’s where it all started.”

But that heritage is under threat.

The Union faces a $500,000 budget shortfall, caused by the collapse of its main sponsor and declining revenues.

“The problem lies running two fully professional competitions and the writing has been on the wall now for three or four years,” says Counties Manukau Rugby Chairman Matthew Newman.

“We’re one of a handful of unions that have grave financial issues that we are dealing with.”

Further south even the mighty are suffering.

Canterbury has also been hit by the failure of its main sponsor and spectator numbers have seldom been so bad.

This weekend the All Blacks play Italy here – even the prospect of an international test has failed to speed up ticket sales.

“They’ve been slower than we would have liked. Around 15,000 this morning with two days to go,” says Canterbury Rugby CEO Hamish Riach.

It is worth noting that there have only been six occasions, since World War Two, where an All Black match has attracted less than 20,000 people.

The Super 14 is also suffering.

In the past six years the average crowd attendance across the country has decreased by 32 percent.

“There’s a lot of interest in rugby. People are still involved and engaged. The trick is to try and unlock the desire to come back to the grounds and enjoy it live as opposed to just being interested,” says Mr Riach.

So why isn’t that grass roots support translating to crowds at the top levels?

To find out we asked online survey company Buzz Channel to conduct a poll.

Of the 2100 respondents, the survey found 46 percent are less interested in rugby than they used to be.

And the top reason… there is simply too much rugby.

“if you really love something and it’s always there, that passion for it dies out a little bit,” says rugby fan Baden Kerr.

“Even for the players. I suppose you could say their bodies are turning into commodities and stuff where they’ve just got a value and that is all they are really respected for.

“They’re not respected for human beings who are getting battered around every week.”

Confusion about the rules and too many game stoppages were also unpopular.

There was also concern about professionalism.

“Our better players got sucked away to the Super 12 or Super 14 unions – and they don’t seem to come back,” says rugby fan James Lowry.

“That middle tier, that provincial tier where we have a salary cap of $2.2 million and a host of unions attempting to raise a million – the money simply isn’t there,” says Mr Newman.

In total, 76 percent of those surveyed believed money had become the driving force behind the game.

Respondents were also concerned about media coverage and a whopping 72 percent believed the off-the-field behaviour of players is negatively affecting public support for the game.

There was one statistic guaranteed to send a shiver down spines in the New Zealand Rugby Union.