We’ve come a long way in the last 10 years. In 1995 the World Cup was revitalizing the Rainbow Nation. Jonah was taking the game globally into teen pop culture. And professionalism was becoming a fact of life. 10 years on, the game is in good shape and has come through robustly. Rugby World Cup has become one of the world’s top 3 sporting events and interest in professional rugby is growing. Corporate and media interest continues to increase and the recent 6 Nations tournament has shown continued closing of the gap in terms of competitiveness and quality at the top level. And this is great for the sport.

Like all New Zealanders, I am relishing 2005. The Lions are coming, we have a point to prove in the Tri-Nations, we have a seasoned dynamic coaching set-up, and we have a team full of talent, explosive pace and innate responsibility and accountability. 

So what is keeping me awake at night? 10 Things:

1.   How can we increase player participation?  We have less than 100 professional teams in the world and no more than 3,000 professional players.  There are less than 3 million players in the world and only 750,000 of these are adults.  87% of these players are in the Tier I and Tier II unions (17 unions).  We are seeing massive competition, not only from sports but from video games and other pastimes which are putting pressure on our age level players.  The pressure is being exerted by governments closing down training and playing facilities, parents becoming more worried about physical issues, and the erosion of the rugby club as a place to play, develop and have fun.  Ideas needed - - and quickly!

2.   How do we ensure financial viability? None of the UK clubs are making money.  Is the model we developed for Super 12 a decade ago still the right one or should we be encouraging more individual/commercial investment?  Is the IRB distributing and investing its resources in the right way?  Does the current system of cronyism and handouts make the traditional stronger and the newer, developing countries weaker?  How can smaller unions compete financially?  I’d like to see a major initiative from the IRB communicating a new financial strategy for the next decade which invests heavily in developing the game on a broader platform.

3.   What should the competition program look like?  Rugby World Cup and the 6 Nations are terrific competitions.  We need to re-look at the southern hemisphere where the Tri-Nations is becoming predictable and boring for fans and players alike.  We also need a coherent British Lions programme involving 6 year cycles and series played in the  British Isles.  I’d also like to see a world class competition for the Tier II unions along with new regional competitions for the lower tiers.  And we must not forget age group rugby where New Zealand, in particular, would always benefit from increased competition through the age groups.   

4.   When will we move to a coordinated global season? This is a complete mess. Players are being asked to do the impossible, clubs in the UKare in danger of running the game, player availability and eligibility regulations are out of date.  Tours are becoming things of the past and we are losing all the traditional legacy excitement of  Munster vs the All Blacks, Aucklandvs the Lions, Taranaki vs the Springboks, etc. It should not be beyond the IRB and our commercial partners to deliver one integrated global season.

5.   How do we take Rugby World Cup to the next level? I would love to see the 2011 Rugby World Cup take place in Japan. This would bring fantastic growth for the game in Asia and we know from Soccer World Cup 2002 what a great spectacle it would be.  Games would be sold out and we would attract a lot more new commercial revenue.  I also think we would see a more competitive and sporting competition with less illustrious teams playing above themselves in new exciting venues. The opportunity to increase broadcast audiences and add value to everyone’s existing media contracts is also huge from the Japan base.

6.   How do we market rugby more effectively?  I do not believe we are spending enough on communicating the spirit of rugby and what makes the game so special.  Marketing efforts appear to be locally driven and event driven rather than following a long-term big picture approach.  I see opportunities where our partners could contribute more to the overall marketing of the game which would be to their ultimate benefit.  We need to connect past, present and future more dramatically and find a way to connect to today’s youth and young adults in an emotionally uplifting way.

7.   How do we get rugby into the Olympics? 
Rugby 7’s is an exciting entry level game and a spectacle for everyone.  It’s like watching ice hockey or basketball and even Americans can follow it.  We must do everything we can to get rugby into the 2012 Olympic games and thus benefit from the increased t.v. profile and association from the Olympics. It would help New Zealand’s medal count too!

8.   How do we crack North America? To my horror this year, live coverage of Super 12, 6 Nations and Tri Series has been pulled by Fox because of lack of commercial sponsorship. Ratings were below 1% and we now have to rely on cable at the Irish pubs uptown. $20.00 per game.

We just haven’t come up with a way to leverage the U.S. I yearn for a Super 14 team based in L.A. Instead, we get one in Perth. Ridiculous.

9.   And wither goest Pira. Come on Fiji!  The IRB will back a united Pira. So will New Zealand and Australia. This is the way forward for the players and the islands. We need to turn this into a reality. 

10. What should the IRB look like? The IRB is re-examining itself and has just reviewed a governance working party and a new strategic plan.  Rugbyneeds the IRB and it needs its governance, its strategy and its leadership. It needs the IRB to play an active role in competition scheduling, in developing the game, in running Rugby World Cup, and in spreading the word everywhere. To win power it needs to give up power. It needs to become more streamlined, more commercial and more open to the developing countries.

Ten years ago was a watershed for rugby. On balance, I think the game has proved most of the detractors and nay sayers wrong.  It has kept many of the great things from the past and remained competitive going forward, but as Churchill said, this is only the end of the beginning.
                  

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