Israel Dugg's biggest concern is rugby's lack of appeal to young people. Photo: David Davies/PA
Israel Dagg, a former All Black, expressed concerns about the future of the game in New Zealand ahead of the Rugby World Cup quarter-final against Ireland, believing «we are losing the heart and mass audience of New Zealand rugby».
Speaking to the Telegraph's rugby podcast, the 2011 Rugby World Cup winner outlined the divide between the professional and community games in New Zealand, the fall in player numbers at club level and the threat of young people being lured away to other sports either for financial reasons or due to a lack of competition at the junior level.
New Zealand's under-20 team has historically won six World Under-20 titles but has finished seventh in its last two tournaments, losing to France and Australia this year.
< p>Citing a recent independent governance review, which revealed that «the management of New Zealand and the wider rugby delivery system has not kept pace with the challenges facing the game», Dagg expressed serious concerns about the direction of the sport.
“To be completely honest, there is a lot of concern,” Dagg said. “When you see the under-20s in competitions that New Zealand have won many times, they are absolutely struggling and struggling against countries that we should potentially dominate… there is a lot of concern in New Zealand at the moment about community rugby and the tracks. New Zealand Rugby has just had a big review of the competition here, no fans, the community feels disconnected from New Zealand and our players. We need to do something relatively quickly.»
While the worsening rugby situation in Australia and the Wallabies has left New Zealand underprepared at Test level ahead of meetings with teams in the northern hemisphere, Dagg's main concern is the lack of appeal for children in New Zealand wanting to play for the All Blacks and Black Ferns, believing that playing in New Zealand Zealand distracts from the ball.
“Kids, these days, when I was growing up, everyone wanted to be an All Black. Now these kids have so many opportunities to play basketball, cricket and all these sports. I feel like we've become comfortable in rugby union. The All Blacks brand has represented us for a very long time and we thought it would always attract a lot of these guys,” said Dagg.
“Right now we need to invest heavily to get out into the scene, be present in communities and get back into the clubs. Clubs are closing and we are losing the heart and popularity of New Zealand rugby. It's sad to see this. I think it will be quite a difficult time.
“The talent is there. But Australia has the NRL, which is very thriving. They have Scouts all over New Zealand in their backyard. I know a story from the Crusaders/Christchurch area where these scouts came and offered a kid about 14 or 15 a scholarship to a high school and academy to go play in the NRL. That's what's happening. People come and take these children from a very young age. And when they get these opportunities from a young age, they will take advantage of them.
“We need to do a better job of recruiting new players, giving them more opportunities to play rugby at a high level. A lot of junior tournaments and competitions in New Zealand have been cancelled, they've gotten rid of them. And when I was growing up, I always wanted to play for the Hawke's Bay under-16 team, the Hurricanes Schools team. We see less of them, and that's sad. If there is no competition, what is the point of participating? You might as well go play basketball and try to make it in America.”
The haka, a fundamental part of the identity of New Zealand and any All Blacks game, continues to come under fire in the northern hemisphere. Sharing his perspective on this from his playing days, Dagg added that when teams responded to the haka, as France did in the 2011 Rugby World Cup final, it took New Zealand off their game a bit, added an edge and encouraged more teams . do the same.
France challenged the haka in the 2011 Rugby World Cup final. Photo: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters
“I like [the answers], they create some tension,” Dagg said. “This is our identity as a country, as a nation. When you hear haka, you know they are from Aotearoa, New Zealand. It's a challenge, but it's also a sign of respect for the battle we're about to enter. I still feel like a lot of teams respect and appreciate that, but on the other hand, teams challenge him. They're really looking forward to what's going to happen and I personally really enjoyed it. It's a good way to get up, get motivated, and make your mark on the game that's about to begin. I remember in 2011, when France crossed the 10 meter line — apparently they got a €20,000 fine for it, but they have plenty of money so it doesn't matter — they came right up to our faces with the Mighty Ducks, were wearing different T-shirts. As a player, I thought, 'Wow!' something to shake it all up. Black team. To be honest, I didn't expect this in 2011 and it occurred to me a little more. I'm shaking right now.»
You can hear the rest of Dagg's thoughts on New Zealand rugby and how the All Blacks can beat Ireland in this week's episode of the Telegraph Rugby podcast.
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