This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.
OPINION: New Zealand Rugby and Sky have really missed a trick here.
The upcoming North v South match is a nonsense. Worse than that, it’s confected nonsense full of phoney team and individual rivalries designed to generate interest in a game that has no stature or appeal.
I’ve no idea who’s in either team, or the contrivances involved with establishing eligibility, and won’t be watching the game itself. The end.
So what would I watch? What could the game’s governing body and host broadcaster come up with instead?
Well, a genuine climax to Super Rugby Aotearoa wouldn’t have hurt. You know, a final. You might have heard of those?
But no. Eight games – actually only seven in the case of two teams – was too physically demanding to pit the two best teams against one another in a winner-takes-all decider.
Far better to put the players in a couple of made-up Mickey Mouse teams instead.
Funny how all and sundry complained about the stresses of Super Rugby Aotearoa, but are now happy to pretend they give a hoot about this North v South business.
But I digress.
We’re about to be force-fed new All Blacks coach Ian Foster for the foreseeable future.
Months on from his appointment it’s still astonishing to think he’s actually been given the job, but that’s a further digression.
Foster needs something to help him establish credibility and a rapport with the rugby public.
Rightly or wrongly, many fans feel he’s utterly ill-equipped for the job that he’s been given.
When the North v South game was first announced, I wrote that Sky and NZR should televise an All Blacks training session instead.
It was something of a throwaway line, designed to show how worthless North v South is, but I’ll try and explain why a training run would be a ratings winner.
First, there’s Foster. Give the public a chance to see the man in action. To hear what he says to the players and the way he says it and the manner in which they respond.
It’s training. He can be stern if he wants, without resorting to swearing. Just lift the veil a little and let people see what happens in these sessions.
Time was when journalists regularly sat through these things. Provided you weren’t taking footage of the action, teams didn’t really care what you saw.
Trust me, a lot of it’s fascinating and hugely informative. Just imagine what volunteer coaches could pick up, for instance.
That kind of thing wouldn’t just help strengthen the connection between us and the team, but potentially raise the quality of training sessions the length and breadth of the country.
Teams are very sensitive about moves and calls getting out. Fair enough. But let’s be honest: who are the All Blacks actually playing this year?
