Except, that is, to play rugby league.
On November 23, 2008, the Kiwis beat the Kangaroos 34-20 at Suncorp Stadium to become world champions. It was unexpected, but desperately needed after the All Blacks' inexplicable failure at their world showpiece the previous year.
The triumph accelerated the growing popularity of the game - especially among the younger crowd - leading to school kids sporting NRL club shorts in record numbers.
The game was to boom, like football is now, yet it has not.
The reason for that is self evident.
How can a sport grow when it is barely played?
Softball was another sport mentioned as one curiously absent from some Bay high schools, especially considering - as is the case with rugby league - New Zealand are the world champions.
A rugby league scout from an Australian NRL club was at the most recent Bay of Plenty secondary school athletics championships, looking to turn sprinters, jumpers and throwers into NRL professionals.
The number of Polynesians involved in the NRL is estimated to be about 30 per cent.
The number increases to 40 per cent in the under-20s competition, with a large proportion of them eligible to play for the Kiwis.
This year's grand final, between Manly and the Roosters, included nine Kiwi players - a record aside from the two grand finals the Warriors have appeared in.
What would happen if they were able to send their scouts to secondary school games of rugby league?
NZRL upper central zone general manager Sasho Stosic and his team are doing all they can to make that a reality.
"We did a road showacross the Bay of Plenty at school cluster meetings that are Sport Bay of Plenty led," Stosic said.
"We asked for a spot and they allowed us a small amount of time to present a proposal for the secondary schools.
"There's definitely been some interest.
"We know Rotorua Boys' High School are keen to attend the national secondary school championships again next year after the success they had and I think they only had two or three first fifteen players among them and still did really well.
"For us, that's a great example.
There's another tier of athlete, or footballer, who can compete at that higher level."
Getting schools to see it like that has long been a problem.
"There are huge historical boundaries in that rugby union is the prominent sport and, I guess, protective of their players.
"The barriers are there.
"It is usually someone in the chain of command that doesn't approve of rugby league and it normally gets cut off before people get an opportunity.
"We've got a very well resourced Coach Force officer in Len Reid who has 10 years of experience in working with these club coaches across the Bay of Plenty who could easily line up a club coach to support a school.
"Sometimes, even when we make those offers it's not something you really want to point fingers at. It kind of gets put into the too hard basket.
"We are in no way trying to compete with rugby union. That is the national sport. For us, it's about giving kids an opportunity and there are oodles of kids out there that are wanting to have a crack and play.
"I guess sometimes it isn't as accessible in the school arena."
Momentum is building in some quarters on the back of Rotorua Boys' High School trailblazing run to a spot in last year's national tournament.
"We've been talking to people at Western Heights which has been traditionally volleyball and rugby.
"The people there say there are at least 100 kids going to that school who play rugby league for a club.
"There are parents that are coming there so why aren't they getting a chance?"
Stosic hopes a clearer picture of a proposed Baywide secondary school competition will emerge in the New Year, at which time the schools will come on board.
