Taking games to regions could prove shot in arm for NPC

Wellington loose forwards Sione Halalilo (left) and Du Plessis Kirifi celebrate after their win...
Wellington loose forwards Sione Halalilo (left) and Du Plessis Kirifi celebrate after their win over Bay of Plenty in the NPC final in Wellington on Saturday. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
The Otago Daily Times canvassed plenty of people for their thoughts during our week-long series on the future of the NPC. Here are some reader opinions on the competition.

As a 42-year-old who still plays rugby for the Alexandra Armadillos, I’ve been following Otago and the NPC religiously since I was 8. Some of my great childhood memories are of Dad taking me down to Dunedin after junior rugby in Central to sit in the Neville St Stand and watch the blue and golds play an exciting brand of rugby. The 1998 Otago season will still go down as one of my favourite years for watching rugby.

Fast-forward to 2024 and I’m now a father of four and back living in Alexandra. Why would I want to shoot down to Dunedin after my 12 and 6-year-old play rugby to watch Otago play in a stadium that charges $12 for a can of beer and $8 for a pie or pottle of chips in front of a crowd of 1500 people in a 25,000-seat stadium with no atmosphere? It simply makes no sense.

As far as the rugby itself goes, it’s still very enjoyable. This year, in particular, had lots of upsets, plenty of points were scored, and I love seeing the new talent emerging — despite Otago missing the playoffs yet again.

The main thing to make the game a better product is to create an atmosphere at the games. To do that that, you need crowds. If you can’t get massive crowds then games need to be played in smaller stadiums.

Take the game out to the regions. If only 1500 of the good folk from Dunedin are going to turn up, play a game at Molyneux Park in Alexandra. Imagine a game on the Sunday of Blossom Festival weekend — you would get a crowd of about 6000. Not only are you growing the game by taking it to the regions, you are getting a bigger crowd at the game, and both live and on TV will be better for it as it will have an atmosphere.

Play a game in Balclutha and play a game in Queenstown. Then, for your remaining three or four home games in Dunedin, maybe the crowds will turn up. Play the Dunedin games at the University Oval or Tahuna Park, where if only 2500 turn up, there will still be an atmosphere.

Another thing to add some spice to the NPC is to introduce promotion-relegation.

In Heartland rugby, there should be a South Island competition and a North Island competition. The North Island would have its current seven teams. The South Island has five teams, so add Otago Country (playing home games in Alexandra) and Southland Country (home games in Gore). The winner from the North-South Heartland final then plays the bottom NPC team for a chance at promotion.

— Robbie Bell

 

The only thing that can save NPC rugby is finding star players and letting them play.

Talent is at the heart of any sporting competition. The star turn in the NPC at the minute is the referee. Stop tampering with rules and trying to engineer outcomes on the field, and let it evolve naturally.

I stopped watching a while ago — gone to NFL and EPL.

— Adam Francis

 

I was in that crowd of 40,000 at Carisbrook in 1998. Late last century, Otago teams were full of tough country forwards with mostly city backs, often sparked by university talent. Today, the Otago NPC team is picked only from Dunedin clubs. No wonder rural Otago has little interest in it.

Revert to picking the top XV from the entire province. Southland does, and their NPC team is supported far better than Otago.

End importing third-rate players unwanted further north. Always pick first the best local player. Stop playing all games at Forsyth Barr Stadium. Spread them around Otago — not only bigger towns like Alexandra, Queenstown, Wanaka and Balclutha but also Tapanui, Roxburgh and Milton. Even one-off games in intriguing places like Arrowtown, Naseby, Glenorchy and Pounawea — great sand-based ground there by the sea. Entire districts will turn up for a first-class game they will never see again in their town.

Night rugby has had a negative effect on the game. Scrap it — a failed experiment.

— Paul Hayward

 

South Africa refocused and made the Currie Cup mean something again.

Super Rugby only helps Australia. Bring back the NPC divisions 1, 2 and 3.

Forget Super Rugby. Provincial and region pride again.

— Brian Byas

 

I’m a fan of 40 years. I used to go to every game in Dunedin: Super Rugby, NPC and All Blacks. Every single game I was on the terrace, and latterly the new stadium. In the ’90s, I queued from 4am to get tickets to some games.

It’s now three years since I went to a game, and that was free tickets. I now even turn down free tickets as I can’t be bothered making the effort if the team doesn’t.

I used to watch every game on TV, even when Otago wasn’t playing. I knew what games were coming up, who most of the players were etc. This year I watched about half of Otago’s games, and most Highlanders games. The performances of Otago and the Highlanders get worse every year, and there seems to be little effort to fix it.

There are efforts to get people to watch, but they seem to ignore people like me. It’s cheaper for students to go. They even get cheaper beer. But nothing to encourage me. Nothing to improve Otago’s performance.

They have forgotten who the fans are and don’t ask us what we want. So let’s hope, when they revamp the competition, they ask the fans who no longer go and watch.

Rugby league are smelling blood, and if they come to the South Island then union will start to die out. Perhaps it’s a good thing, and it’s had its day.

— Dene McDonald

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