Different school of thought to televised college games
Following the Auckland 1A competition’s lead and scrapping televised First XV rugby isn’t on the cards in other major competitions.
That includes in the Crusaders and Hurricanes regions, despite there being support for the decision Auckland schools made last month.
Auckland First XV rugby is seen as an entirely different beast and what 12 schools in New Zealand’s largest city saw as problematic isn’t widespread, School Sport Canterbury chair and Shirley Boys’ principal Tim Grocott said.
‘‘It’s quite a different situation in Auckland. We get a lot less TV games, we’re a much smaller market. I think the issue for us is less pronounced than what it is in Auckland.’’
Principals from a dozen Auckland schools, including Auckland Grammar, King’s College, Mt Albert Grammar and St Kentigern College, made the decision to scrap live TV coverage and streaming of one of the most prestigious First XV competitions, citing an ‘‘unhealthy level of scrutiny in both traditional and social media’’.
Players and coaches from the 1A competition will also no longer undertake media interviews before or during the season.
Sky Sport has broadcast regular 1A matches live – in addition to other matches from around the country – while some schools have live-streamed fixtures.
The decision in Auckland led to speculation other competitions would follow suit. However, it hadn’t even led to conversations amongst schools in the Crusaders region, where the premier First XV competition features teams from Nelson to Timaru.
‘‘I don’t think it will. There is probably a few other issues that we have in our competition rather than TV. I can’t see it being a big thing,’’ Grocott
said. ‘‘To me, [player poaching] is probably our biggest issue. A couple of schools are very active in recruiting players to their schools. That’s not sustainable.’’
Grocott and Christ’s College principal Garth Wynne referred to televised games as a ‘‘treat’’, a rarity and something their teams looked forward to.
Including their annual grudge match with Christchurch Boys’ High School, Christ’s College typically has only two matches televised a year, Wynne said, while Shirley Boys’ High School had only one game televised the past few years, Grocott said.
‘‘Does it need to be on TV? Every once in a while. Yep, the boys love that, the boys like being on TV. I think it’s really nice, it’s a nice treat. Does it need to be every week? I’m less than convinced,’’ Grocott said.
‘‘I think we’ve got to keep in mind that high school rugby is high school rugby. It’s a fantastic game, and I love going to watch it ... but it’s only high school. I do worry about the over professionalisation of the game, all these kids that are putting all their eggs in one basket when they are 17-18. I think TV has added to that, that’s a
little bit of a worry.’’
College Sport Wellington executive director Bryan Dickinson said there was a similar feeling in the Hurricanes region, where schools such as Silverstream, Scots College, Napier Boys’ High School and Palmerston North Boys’ High School compete in the premier First XV competition. A board meeting was planned next week to discuss next year’s competition, but Dickinson doesn’t expect the topic of televised matches to be a hot one. ‘‘This year, I think we had three televised games. Our final, plus a couple of other ones. It’s not hugely on our radar.
‘‘Having said that, I wouldn’t be hugely keen if Sky TV approached us, looking to fill content with more Wellington games.’’
Dickinson said a broadcast charter, laying down the framework from broadcast matches on Sky to schools opting to stream their own matches, was put in place a couple of years ago.
‘‘The basis of it is if schools or coaches want to do things, that’s fine. But they should check in with the opposition and make sure they’re happy with it as well.’’