Renewed sponsorship shot in the arm for the Blues

They have been a basket case on the field at times this season, but off the field the Blues have hardly been better.

Major sponsor nib, a health insurance company, has committed for another three years, an investment which represents the Blues’ biggest ever sponsorship deal, and a lucrative arrangement with Japanese club Honda has also boosted the coffers.

There is also a sense of optimism around the arrival from next year of new assistant coaches Leon MacDonald and Tom Coventry, and although jaded Blues fans probably felt the same way when Tana Umaga replaced John Kirwan three years ago, should the team click on the field next season they could suddenly become a far more attractive proposition in terms of player recruitment.

“These are talented coaches,” high performance manager Tony Hanks told the Weekend Herald. “They’re not coming to the Blues because someone’s willing to pay them to coach. And it’s not just the [player] roster.

“I think coaches of that calibre and experience will also look for structures that are in place and leadership. It’s been a tough season and no one’s happy with the on-field [performances] but there is certainly a lot of good work being done off it and we don’t think we’re far away.”

The nib deal means the Australian company will appear on the front of the Blues’ jerseys until the end of 2021 at least.

The company’s chief executive, Rob Hennin, wouldn’t reveal the cost of the investment, but said his company’s research showed the Blues’ profile and media reach in Auckland and the rest of New Zealand made them a valuable team to be associated with. That is boosted, no doubt, by high-profile All Blacks such as Rieko Ioane and Sonny Bill Williams.

“I can’t give you a ballpark figure but we get many, many millions of dollars worth of media value from the Blues,” he said.

“We’re coming up to a five-year association with the Blues and over that time our business has grown enormously from a brand point of view and a business point of view and there’s no doubt in our minds that our association with the Blues has been a significant factor in our ongoing growth,” he said.

The Blues’ relationship with Honda began last year and that has paid immediate dividends for the Japanese company.

“For the last year or so we have spent a fair bit of time in Japan . . . there has been coaching support and last week we did a camp with them,” Hanks said.

“We played against them in June last year.

“They had a really good year last year and went through unbeaten and got promoted so they’re looking forward to the top league season.”