By ALAN PERROTT
New Zealanders are falling out of love with rugby, with diminishing All Black returns and endless tinkering with the great game's rules turning people off.
A Herald-DigiPoll survey suggests that the wise old heads of the Rugby Union need an urgent whiteboard session to maintain possession of our hearts.
You can feel it in every lunchroom and bar - the nationwide angst and self-flagellation that followed the 1999 World Cup disaster has been replaced by a mass shrug of resignation.
A quarter of those surveyed said their interest in the game was waning, while 19.7 per cent were heretics who had never thrilled to the ruck, maul or second-phase ball. Fifty-three per cent claimed they enjoyed the game as much as ever.
One of our greatest players, Colin Meads, who has been made a distinguished companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year Honours list, said the public's waning love for the game was caused by the All Blacks' relatively poor results in the past three seasons.
"The public want to see the All Blacks winning," said Meads. "As long as they're winning people will watch, but that doesn't mean always beating teams like Tonga."
He said the game was as spectacular as ever, but New Zealanders wanted to see the All Blacks win big test matches, and that had not happened enough lately.
But another former All Black, Grahame Thorne, believed the game had deteriorated. He bemoaned the shift towards a union-league hybrid played at night by armies of people basically the same size and shape.
"Apart from the two Bledisloe Cup matches this year, I get more fun watching my children play.
"It all changed when they decided everyone should stay on their feet. At any one time you might have two players from each team contesting the ball and the rest fanned out across the field trawling for stray backs - it's becoming a war of attrition."
Thorne said that until lineout lifting was banned and rucking rediscovered, the only team likely to raise his blood pressure would be the ACT Brumbies in the Super 12.
However, test referee Paddy O'Brien believed the game was moving with the times.
"Rugby is evolving into a more exciting game of power, possession and pace," said O'Brien. "There are more tries and it's more entertaining to watch. We have been heading down the line of fudging the laws, but if they are refereed and played to properly we'll still have a great game."
In a more neutral corner is Christian Heritage leader the Rev Graham Capill, whose enthusiasm for rugby has followed the downhill slide of his beloved Otago side.
In fact, he's even tempted to switch codes.
"I have to say I've been enjoying soccer a lot more lately. I'm very much enjoying the Football Kingz, even if I'd like to see them do better."
Disillusioned fans sidestep New Zealand's great game
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