Problems on rugby's hallowed turf

It's hard to tell whether it was irony or just bad timing that several groups of university students were happily playing touch rugby next to the venue where a former All Blacks captain, a sports academic and a religious rugby fan were discussing the impending doom of New Zealand's great game.

While many still bask in the glory of the All Blacks' Rugby World Cup success, former All Blacks captain Chris Laidlaw, University of Otago department of physical education professor Steve Jackson and Knox Centre for Ministry and Leadership teacher Kevin Ward spent yesterday at the Alhambra Union Rugby Football Club discussing the state of New Zealand rugby.

Is it still a game, or more a contested terrain for a host of competing interests?

Are the All Blacks ours, or are they the possession of global corporates and obsessive sponsors?

Is rugby now fulfilling some of the functions we used to expect of organised religion?

Mr Laidlaw believed professionalism was "bleeding" grass-roots rugby dry and New Zealand rugby was now in a situation where the organisation did not know what was going to happen next.

"Sponsors are not interested in lower-grade teams. The game is dying at grass-roots level."

As a result, he believed the game would hit "the wall" within the next five years.

Prof Jackson said much of the money generated by professional rugby was trickling up to the IRB rather than down to amateur club level, where the rugby stars of tomorrow started on their path to success.

While there were no solutions to the issues facing New Zealand rugby, the Rev Dr Ward said the game was creating a sense of national unity and fervour he had not seen before.

Rugby was creating a surrogate religion by providing a sense of identity, he said.

"Religions normally create a sense of belonging by focusing initially on the bonding of local communities.

"This sense of affiliation then becomes a paradigm for the germination and nurture of larger commitments.

"Sports similarly generate a sense of identity with the home team and the loyalty that such a self-understanding entails.

"One of the means for generating this group identity is through rituals, chants and song that are common to both religions and sports."

Mr Laidlaw said the "religion of rugby" might be able to create the revolution that was necessary to create change in New Zealand rugby.

"We know there's something wrong, but we don't know what. There needs to be a revolution for change."

The forum, hosted by the university's Centre for Theology and Public Issues and National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, drew about 30 people.

john.lewis@odt.co.nz