NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Rugby / All Blacks

<i>Paul Lewis:</i> Beginning of the end for test rugby?

Paul Lewis
By Paul Lewis,
Contributing Sports Writer·
19 Aug, 2006 09:04 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Paul Lewis
Opinion by Paul Lewis
Paul Lewis writes about rugby, cricket, league, football, yachting, golf, the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.
Learn more

International rugby is disappearing deeper into a hole it is digging itself and the fact now seems to be taking firm root in the public consciousness. All Black luminaries such as Sean Fitzpatrick and Grant Fox are speaking out and there is a groundswell of opinion beginning to grow that the game in its current state is in a bit of trouble.

There was a bit of good, old Kiwi isolationism, parochialism and arrogance when discussing the fact - quel horreur - that the evil French might be villainous enough to send an understrength team to New Zealand next year. I heard some grumpy old men on the radio talking about the arrogance of the French for doing this, apparently unaware that Graham Henry and the All Blacks have been happily doing the same for some time.

Somehow, the French sending an understrength team out here in World Cup year had morphed into what arrogant sods the Frogs were and what about the Rainbow Warrior?

The French would no more send a full-strength team to New Zealand in World Cup year - to the country that seems likeliest to beat them in their home tournament - than we would if the roles were reversed. The psychological stakes are too high.

Anyway, why is there a June tour of this country except to keep the NZRU/IRB/Sky money-go-round nicely oiled?

The 2007 French tour is an example of what is wrong with test rugby - countless games, too many of which are ordinary because of rotation. When the ordinariness filters down, as it has, to Super 14 and the Air NZ Cup, the fans will do what fans do in this situation - vote with their feet.

Many already have, while rugby authorities are pleased with the fact their TV audiences are up. Make no mistake, this is important. If the broadcasters, who supply the gold for the egg the NZRU goose lays, were to feel audiences were dropping, there would be hell to pay. Merde! (as we say in France).

But if you listen to the talk in the rugby clubs, bars, pubs, and even, gulp, on talkback, the main theme is how boring the game has become. When was the last truly compelling test we watched?

Some of us would say the July 29 13-9 Tri Nations test at Brisbane was a good 'un and so it was. But it is an obvious choice - standing alone in a featureless field of test mediocrity. When was the last really thrilling try the All Blacks scored?

Many fans have joined Fox, Fitzpatrick and others in worrying about what happens after the 2007 World Cup. Do we have another three years of rest, rotation and below-par tests in the name of 2011?

God help us, no. The international game may not be strong enough to stand it. People will turn off in droves or do something more exciting - like watching glaciers move or kauris grow. It would be like Winston Peters and the spider. You don't know who to feel sorrier for.

The international game badly needs some leadership which transcends the money of the professional era. As Fitzpatrick pointed out in his column last week, it is not just the Southern Hemisphere in trouble, the north is too. For different reasons, player burnout among them.

The potential saviour is a global season, something the NZRU is pushing. International teams could play in this common "window". A global league would obviously be good, with points maybe accruing from competitions such as the Six Nations and Tri Nations.

This could also be used to draw closer into the fold countries such as Argentina, Samoa and Fiji who complain justifiably about being left out in the cold. The matches could also be used to rank teams for the World Cup.

This is all hopeful stuff, of course. It's like wishing for world peace. The road blocks are immense, not least that the north is ruled by the clubs and that a global programme would mean dismantling the very system that is making the rugby rich richer - in everything except content. Naked self-interest would have to be put aside, something at which humans are not very good.

But someone has to do it. Otherwise we could be watching the beginning of the end.

It's a bit like champagne, if you'll forgive the return to things French. I did not like champagne nor the bubbly stuff that is not allowed to use the name. Then I tasted vintage champagne. All was explained. One is like nectar, which is why it costs so much. Some of the others are like a cross between fermented hedge clippings and Sprite and, in my experience, give you heartburn.

International rugby is giving us all heartburn at the moment but at vintage prices.

It needs to find a way out of this unique marketing proposition.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from All Blacks

Premium
Analysis

Super Rugby: How the Blues can beat the Crusaders

12 Jun 06:01 PM
Premium
All Blacks

'Real driver for us': Blues inspired by Suafoa's brave battle

11 Jun 11:01 PM
All Blacks

All Blacks winger re-signs with NZ Rugby and Blues

10 Jun 08:20 PM

It was just a stopover – 18 months later, they call it home

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from All Blacks

Premium
Super Rugby: How the Blues can beat the Crusaders

Super Rugby: How the Blues can beat the Crusaders

12 Jun 06:01 PM

ANALYSIS: The scrum will be crucial in the Crusaders-Blues semifinal showdown.

Premium
'Real driver for us': Blues inspired by Suafoa's brave battle

'Real driver for us': Blues inspired by Suafoa's brave battle

11 Jun 11:01 PM
All Blacks winger re-signs with NZ Rugby and Blues

All Blacks winger re-signs with NZ Rugby and Blues

10 Jun 08:20 PM
NZ Rugby announces launch of Fantasy Rugby Championship

NZ Rugby announces launch of Fantasy Rugby Championship

10 Jun 05:00 AM
The woman behind NZ’s first PAK’nSAVE
sponsored

The woman behind NZ’s first PAK’nSAVE

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP