Growing calls for New Zealand rugby to embrace characters and personalities to drive more interest

Reiko Ioane is one of a new breed of All Blacks players unafraid to say what he thinks online. Photo / Photosport

There is a growing belief that New Zealand’s top-level rugby stars should start following the example of other codes, including NRL and NFL, and reveal more of their personality off the field and not be afraid of any backlash from their clubs, fans, or media. Has the time come for rugby to shed its ‘yeah nah, game of two halves, full credit’ identity? Jordan Smith reports.

Rugby in New Zealand is enshrined in the culture. All Blacks stars are treated more as national heroes than mere athletes who chuck a footy around.

However, there’s a growing belief that rugby in New Zealand needs injections of fresh marketing and promotion to keep the game growing - and to fend off the attacks of other growing sports and distractions.

Is the antidote buried in encouraging players, teams, and organisations alike to become more verbose, engaging in banter online, and helping drive narratives?

Wasserman rugby agent Craig Innes is entirely for the shift, believing that competitions such as the NRL have done a much better job in promoting their “heroes and villains”, as well as being open-minded about players showing their true colours.

“There’s plenty of room for personalities and characters to come out, and I think it’s a good thing,” the former All Black and NRL player said.

“As far as building a brand and wanting to portray the person or character you are, there is a platform there to be used.

“[It’s] certainly good for the fans to be engaged with other than what’s happening on the field, so I think the more of it the better.”

While these types of personalities are far and few between in the 15-man game, there is one who has been breaking the norm – Blues and All Blacks centre Rieko Ioane.

His spat with Johnny Sexton in the last Rugby World Cup, which carried on into the All Blacks’ test against the Irish last year, along with jibes on social media to those who doubted him and the Blues’ in the playoffs, has shown he’s not afraid to cross a boundary that many players haven’t.

It’s a stance that’s endorsed by New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and the Blues, with a representative from the Auckland-based club saying they encourage players to take pride in their identity and “wearing the jersey”.

“They’re passionate about the club… that pride often comes through in the way they express themselves, including on social media,” the Blues representative said.

“Storytelling, player-driven content, and the idea of building rivalries or narratives can all help capture attention, as long as it’s done in a way that stays authentic to our game and culture.”

Former player turned agent Craig Innes is all for players expressing themselves. Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz

NZR’s General Manager of Brand and Marketing Kerry McKenzie said Ioane’s driving of rivalry and interest was “fantastic for the fans” and encourages other players to follow suit if minded.

“One of our personality traits for the All Blacks brand is ‘true originals’, which is because we want to celebrate our players individuality within the team,” McKenzie said.

“We encourage players to be themselves and bring their whole selves to their roles as professional rugby players. That includes how they want to be seen on social media and in media.”

Former All Black Stephen Donald is also an advocate, telling The Breakdown on Sky Sport how “we can forget about paying marketing companies any money to promote our game, because we have Rieko Ioane and he is rugby’s best promoter”.

The question is, is it an example of a player who likes to talk the talk, or a look at an untapped pathway of embracing the theatrics and entertainment of rugby in the name of promotion?

The Blues as a team certainly have adopted the philosophy, emphasised by their social media back-and-forth with Super Rugby rivals Moana Pasifika this year.

The spat was sparked by Blues loose forward Hoskins Sotutu saying, “There’s only one team in the 09″, on his Instagram after his side won the first encounter.

Moana responded with, “There’s only one team that represents the Pacific”, after winning the rematch.

But the Blues had the last laugh, posting, “There’s only one team in the playoffs”, after Moana were eliminated from contention.

“We do look for moments that bring a bit of extra colour and fun to our content when relevant, especially when it comes to building hype around key match-ups,” the Blues representative said.

To some, however, this style of promotion rides a dangerous line between positive exposure and damaging effects on the game.

“I get it. You’re trying to get eyeballs, connection points and hits, which turn into support and sponsors,” former All Black and current Sky broadcaster Jeff Wilson said.

“I’m okay with that as long as we don’t lose the values of our game which make it great.”

Jeff Wilson has no problem with banter as long as the spirit of the game is upheld. Photo/Photosport

Wilson said it’s important to understand that context is everything when there is banter like what Ioane and the Blues engage in, especially because of the growing want for that style of content by a diversifying fan base.

“You can take a screen grab here or a comment there and you’re not sure exactly how that message and relationship between a player or a fan and a player should be taken,” Wilson said.

“There’s a lot of stuff done now in tongue and cheek. There’s no doubt we’ve seen the boundaries are being pushed and they’re going to continue being pushed, but at the end of the day, once the game is over, we can shake hands and move on.

“There shouldn’t be an animosity born out of banter online. That would be sad to see in the game.”

Looking broader afield, this level of banter and poking is not unbeknownst to the sporting world.

For years, promoting and driving narratives and rivalries have been present in international leagues such as the NBA, NFL and the NRL to create more engagement with the fans.

As a result, Wilson said there’s a conversation to be had to look at these international models and their entertainment packages to see if it can be successfully transferred to rugby.

“When you start talking about provincial and Super Rugby, I think there is a responsibility to bring on entertainment and marketability,” he said.

“It’s exciting to watch and as good if not better when I played. There are just other things you can add to it now to make it entertaining for people who have grown up in a different world.”

In that regard, NZR has begun shifting their focus to cater for the digital audience and their needs.

“We’ve really focused across our Super Rugby Pacific, Black Ferns, and All Blacks social media channels on how we can grow our digital audiences through providing entertaining relevant content,” McKenzie said.

And while correlation doesn’t always equal causation, a strong argument can be made that the shift has started to move the needle.

Super Rugby saw a 15% increase in viewership this year, with the highest-watched game behind the final being Ioane and the Blues against the Chiefs in the playoffs.

Aotearoa’s a rugby-purist country, but perhaps it’s time it embraces the different, the bold and the brash. At the very least, it brings entertainment, passion, and eyes, something the game needs now more than ever.