Can Hamilton save the rugby sevens?
It may take more than a move from Wellington to inject new vitality into a format that shows all the signs of having lost its mass appeal
New Zealand’s home for sevens rugby had to shift from Wellington, but it’s all become a bit tired. It may have traction for its Hamilton debut next year. Call it a degree of novelty factor, but you have to wonder if it will spin as many wheels as organisers hope.
Put it this way: when sevens is on, do you make a beeline for the TV?
Puff releases talk about Hamilton offering a world-class stadium, a central location for fans and a host community that loves rugby.
Wellington could claim all three — albeit with a qualification on the stadium, as the Cake Tin isn’t a purpose-built rugby ground. Wellington fell out of love with the sevens after 18 years. It was the onestop shop for sevens.
Remember the early years when the crowds flocked? It was a rollicking weekend. Then the fun went out of it as the serious squad stepped in.
Personally, I’ve never been a big fan of sevens.
It was good when it didn’t take itself too seriously. Then it became a big deal and the sense of unbridled enjoyment went out of it. Halftime huddles turned po-faced.
Hamilton mayor Andrew King yesterday claimed “this is what the [Waikato] stadium was built for”. That’s tosh, of course, but forgive a bit of chest beating.
New Zealand Rugby chief strategy and operations officer Nigel Cass said it was time to start a new chapter for the sevens circuit and its part in the world series.
Fair enough, but how they work this will be intriguing.
There are plans to segment the ground to suit fans, families and what are euphemistically called “party goers”.
Wellington got into difficulty when the booze and party atmosphere removed the enjoyment for the family sector. Like it or not, booze brings money.
Here’s another thing: ever tried to keep kids amused and actively engaged with an event for seven hours? That’s a tough sell.
New Zealand are no longer the force they were in sevens. They won the first six editions of the world series.
At the weekend they gave up a 21-0 halftime lead to Scotland in their cup quarter-final in London, then got a 41-7 shellacking from Australia.
Teams such as Kenya and Canada are becoming more prominent. This is good. A changing of the guard hurts no one — except that old guard.
But there’s no question having the home country performing strongly is a big plus for an international event.
Hamilton will be hoping Aucklanders trek 90 minutes south to join the party. Let’s see. They find it hard enough to get to Eden Park, although there are rugby quality issues in play there.
The men’s sevens programme receives $900,000 this and next year from the government funding arm High Performance Sport NZ; the women, who won silver at its Olympic debut in Rio last year, pocket $1.1 million in the same period.
That’s a huge pile of money going to the country’s biggest, wealthiest sports body. That’s another story.
So let’s see if Hamilton can provide a revitalising effect to a beast sorely in need of a substantial boost.