Auckland has become world renowned as a rugby venue – which is why the city is trying to sell its expertise.
Auckland has become renowned as the world’s greatest conveyor belt of contact sport talent and the city is now trying to cash in on its reputation as a rugby venue and nursery.
There are plenty of fallacies which cling to sports, none though is so patently untrue as the theory that New Zealand rugby can only be strong when Auckland is strong.
Auckland haven’t been a dominant force since 2007, while the Blues haven’t won a title since 2003. Neither has been universally seen as anything other than mid- table for the better part of the last decade – a period in which the All Blacks have been crowned world champions and won more than 90 per cent of their tests.
Auckland, as is apparent, doesn’t need to produce dominant teams for the country to thrive internationally.
But, almost like Obe Wan Kanobe in the Star Wars films whose power becomes greater after he’s struck by a mortal blow, the city has become more powerful, more influential and more important to the overall health of New Zealand rugby despite seemingly no longer being able to compete.
Auckland has become the country’s single greatest talent resource. No region produces more ball- playing, high impact athletes: no region churns out potential All Blacks and NRL stars quite as readily or as easily as Auckland.
Then there is the reputation the city has garnered as a host of major international rugby events. Auckland has become, arguably the world’s most sought after rugby venue. It has hosted the British Lions, the World Cup, the Junior World Championship and the NRL Nines.
Would anyone argue against the claim that NZ is the spiritual home of rugby and Auckland the unofficial epicentre?
The Eden Park factors helps: it has its critics as a facility but its value to the All Blacks is huge. People talk about grounds becoming a fortress and at times various places such as Ellis Park, Loftus Versfeld, Twickenham and Parc des Princes have been. Not like Eden Park, though. It is 20 years since the All Blacks lost at Eden Park and South Africa, Australia and France have all had 50 points put on them in Auckland while England and Ireland... just about every major side have endured heavy defeats. New Zealand have won 38 tests and drawn one at Eden Park since 1994.
It’s that first point, though, that is perhaps the most vital to grasp in direct regard to understanding where New Zealand’s rugby powerbase truly is. Christchurch, given the success of Canterbury and the Crusaders, naturally appeals as the most significant and important rugby territory. Hamilton, because of the Chiefs, has to be a contender, too. Both cities are important for sure, but they are not generators in the same way Auckland is.
Look at their respective squads and significant numbers were developed elsewhere. The Whitelocks and Aaron Cruden are from Manawatu; Kieran Read, Tim Nanai- Williams and Jordan Taufua from South Auckland; Israel Dagg and Ben Tamiefuna from Hawke’s Bay.
But it is Auckland that is doing more than its fair share of development: about 30 per cent of contracted Super Rugby players were schooled and developed in the big smoke.
Drop down to the ITM Cup and the numbers of Aucklandborn and developed players is higher again. The greater Auckland region has 22,000 players and a schoolboy competition – the 1A – that is the envy of the world. It’s not that supply outstrips demand – it outstrips capacity: Auckland Rugby can’t find places for all the young players that are good enough to make the professional game.
Auckland, North Harbour, Northland and the Blues combined don’t have the capacity so inevitably other provinces and franchises have scooped more than their fair share from Auckland.
When Auckland played Southland in this year’s ITM Cup, the Stags’ entire backline had all been through the former’s programme to some degree. The NRL, Australian rugby and even the AFL have picked up plenty, too.
The competition for talent is extreme. Age- grade rugby in the city has agents and scouts crawling all over it: players who go well at a tournament or representative game can expect to be fielding phonecalls before they even get home.
“The market place is changing,” says Blues coach Sir John Kirwan. “I think part of that is down to schoolboy rugby being on TV. Some of it is due to the increased investment schools are making in sport and some of it is because of the maturity of the athletes – particularly in our region.”
Auckland is underwriting a sizeable percentage of the country’s talent base and yet their representative teams struggle. And because they struggle to win consistently, revenue from sponsors and ticket sales doesn’t reflect the region’s contribution.
Money isn’t tight as such, but there isn’t as much pouring in as there used to be – especially from the ITM Cup where crowds are paltry in comparison with 10 years ago.
Auckland Rugby have therefore made the decision to actively sell their expertise: to commercialise the programmes that are helping make money for everyone else it seems but them.
Having invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in Eden Park’s facilities which now boast gym, lecture rooms, classrooms and state of the art changing rooms, Auckland are actively scouring the world for young players to fill them.
Auckland has the reputation for rugby excellence; they have the coaches, the venue and the proven track record of producing international class players – even if other provinces and franchises are mostly taking the credit – and they have decided to sell their Academy programmes to anyone willing to pay for them.
Commercial manager Ross Halpin, says: “Tennis, golf, football - they all have academies where you can send your son and daughter: for example the IMG academy in Florida and those sorts of things. Rugby is in its infancy professionally and we have only got to a position in recent times where we have stepped back from the day- to- day business of looking after the 22,000 players we have here and decided there are opportunities that we should be exploring.
“This is one of the very apparent ones. We are cranking out lots of players for lots of provinces and we are not getting anything for it. Rugby is not set up with a transfer fee system but there is a whole pile of intellectual property that we have developed over time and we are looking at how we capitalise on that.”
Auckland are not alone in this territory. The likes of the Crusaders and Chiefs, Taranaki and Bay of Plenty are also operating in this market. New Zealand has a global reputation for rugby excellence and most teams here – whether they be ITM Cup or Super Rugby – need more revenue.
Where Auckland differs from the competition is in the scale of its ambition. Academy manager Ant Strachan has been given specific targets to hit: the investment has been made in the facilities and staff and now the province needs paying customers to balance the books.
It makes for a fascinating set- up – a bit like the health system in the UK where private patients are treated at the same hospitals and by the same doctors as those in the public system.
Auckland will continue to have an annual intake of mostly local players as part of their own development plans. Alongside them will be players from all over the world paying for largely similar programmes.
“Our main focus hasn’t changed,” says Halpin. “Our talent identification and development staff are going out and finding the guys who they can see will follow that path or have the best odds of following that pathway [ to the All Blacks].
“We have put alongside them a number of the international players we have started to attract. Some of the Japanese company- based clubs have sent players out here and some of them will be out here for up to five months. They will train alongside those guys and they will get adopted by one of the clubs.
“Some of the players from Argentina have been younger and physically not at the same level. A lot of the foreign guys will have a specific programme developed for them.
“The board said we should be doing this [ attracting international talent]. They have invested quite a bit of money. They have invested a few hundred thousand. It’s pretty challenging because there is no history to base the budget, but we will generate hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue.”
In theory, Auckland will be able to create a virtuous cycle: the money they bring in will be used to improve the Academy programme for their pathway intake and the more success they have in producing Super Rugby players and All Blacks, the more money they will be able to attract into their programme from elsewhere.
It is a bold and innovative scheme and maybe Auckland have taken too big a risk. But maybe not. They have two significant factors in their favour that give them confidence.
The first is the recent success they have enjoyed in pushing players from First XV- to ITM Cup- to Super Rugby- to All Blacks. The province had gained a reputation in the professional age for not being able to see the wood for the trees: more than 20,000 registered players, a world renowned First XV competition and yet as recently as 2012, Auckland had only produced four All Blacks - Isaia Toeava, Jerome Kaino, Benson Stanley and Charlie Faumuina - since 2006. That paltry return was a damning statistic in its own right and the whole system of player development was reviewed.
“We had a deep look at Auckland rugby three years ago,” says Strachan. “From our perspective we felt we were letting in too many kids with poor character into our programme.
“So we changed our philosophy and refocused around culture and behaviour and decided to no longer accept mediocrity. We wanted boys with good character and ethics away from rugby.”
In the last few years they have seen Faumuina, Patrick Tuipulotu, Steven Luatua, Francis Saili, Malakai Fekitoa and Charles Piutau graduate to the All Blacks.
Auckland and the Blues may not be winning titles, but they are producing some of the most exciting talent in the country. Having high profile, proven product makes the Academy programme an easier sell. The other big selling point is Auckland itself.
The city, or its inhabitants, take a pounding from the rest of the country. For whatever reason, Auckland and Aucklanders have an awful reputation in New Zealand. It’s different offshore, however. Auckland is recognised as progressive, multi- cultural and dynamic. It has diversity and style and the infrastructure required to entice foreign investment. It also carries an element of mystique in direct regard to its standing as a rugby city.
“I think we have one or two competitive advantages,” says Halpin. “The city and Eden Park itself. We are the gateway to the rest of the New Zealand and Auckland is by far and away the most accommodating place in the country. We have the language schools and other facilities.
“Eden Park is recognised as the home of New Zealand rugby. It is 20 years since the All Blacks last lost here. The guys that we have in the programmes are busy taking selfies in front of the stands. And you can understand how someone in Rosario will respond to that on Facebook.”
The world has become Auckland’s oyster. Their expertise has already proven sellable in Argentina and Japan. The USA and Canada are two other potential emerging markets.
But they haven’t overlooked the opportunity that may lie closer to home. The domestic market may become their most profitable in time. There are plenty of good players around the country who don’t get picked up when they and their parents feel they should. Typically those athletes are lost to the NRL or offshore to rugby.
“What we think is a massive missed opportunity is the domestic market – and by that I mean New Zealand and Australia,” says Halpin. “There is a lot of young men and women who are if they are not selected by their local province then what happens..? Do they go away because they haven’t had the level of expertise and coaching? And a number of those would be happier to pay for it.
“There is a great opportunity coming out of the season to help players get ready for First XV. When we have had a quick look across the Tasman outside the Australian Institute of Sport programme there doesn’t seem to be comparable product being offered by the Waratahs and Reds. They haven’t extended out beyond that and maybe the market doesn’t warrant it... but it would appear prime facae to be a market. There are some wealthy audiences that we could be talking to as well.”
Ideally, Auckland Rugby would love to be winning titles and selling its expertise. Ideally they would be like to renowned as a great identifier, developer and retainer of talent.
But they will settle for the first two if it helps them pay the bills.