New Zealand 2 will deal a massive blow to NZ rugby

[Gobsmacked]

Isn’t wellington a collection of settlements spread out over a large distance also?

maybe access and travel to the cake tin is much more difficult than say the new stadium in downtown Christchurch?

The city of Wellington is very dense. Steep hills and ocean keep it that way. That's why the stadium is such an issue, there's nowhere really you could plonk a new one. You either demolish the cake tin or that's it. At least that's how I remember it.
The Hutts and other areas are close and it makes a decent population, connected by rail too.

Flippant is the one to ask.

 

[Matiunz]

What’s the deal with the open end stand?

is it like a stage area for concerts?

No idea, suspect it’s probably a logistics thing to get equipment in/out of?

 

[Matiunz]

Bang on. Was in Christchurch last month, definite buzz about the town. Welly is dire, downtown dying a slow death.

Have been to both in the last 6months and Wellington definitely seems to have been hit a bit in the last 5 years or so, talking to family there they tend to blame some poor govt/council decisions. Lambdon Quay end was fine but Courtney place looked a bit sad but I do know that got quite heavily impacted by earthquake damage a few years back.

Christchurch to me always feels like a big country town to me and never really has that city feel that Auckland and Wellington do. I’m still surprised how much of the earthquake damage is still seemingly untouched with empty overgrown lots and condemned buildings etc.

 

[Matiunz]

Isn’t wellington a collection of settlements spread out over a large distance also?

maybe access and travel to the cake tin is much more difficult than say the new stadium in downtown Christchurch?

Stadium in Wellington is in a pretty accessible place, short Walk from Parliament end of the CBD and Central station.
Wellington CBD is fairly compact and spreads into the surrounding hills, it’s when you split off into the suburbs there’s a little bit of a break due to geography to Hutt valley on one side and Johnsonville/Porirua stretched out to Paraparaumu on the other and then kapiti coast as a bit more of a satellite area. There’s a little bit of suburbia in the likes of Whitby connecting the 2 sides but the populations generally’v’ out. Some locals claim these as “not Wellington” but to an outsider it’s all under the same umbrella.

 

[Matiunz]

Would you say that rugby is more important and a bigger part of the fabric of the Christchurch/canterbury people than Auckland?

Canterbury is generally pretty parochial and more generational than say Auckland which has a significant migrant population similar to a Sydney.
Because of this there’s a bit more local pride in Canterbury and they tend to have small brother syndrome and love a chance to crow about success.
An analogy would be NZers crowing about a bledisloe victory in Aus- it’s a big deal to the NZers but barely registers with the locals

 

[marlins2.0]

Canterbury is generally pretty parochial and more generational than say Auckland which has a significant migrant population similar to a Sydney.
Because of this there’s a bit more local pride in Canterbury and they tend to have small brother syndrome and love a chance to crow about success.
An analogy would be NZers crowing about a bledisloe victory in Aus- it’s a big deal to the NZers but barely registers with the locals

Yep.

Aucklanders are passionate within Auckland, much like most bigger cities...South Aucklanders distinguish themselves from Eastsiders, Westies, The Shore etc.

You've also got the weird thing where South Aucklanders support Counties in the NPC yet the Chiefs (Waikato) in Super due to the old regional alignments.

The rest of NZ can't stand JAFAs, and JAFAs couldn't give a shit haha, the Warriors have done quite well captivating a fan base south of the Bombay's in the that regard.

Plenty of Kiwis are disillusioned by NZRU as they feel they don't get enough love - read: no tests outside of the big five cities, one super game a year which due to player loading may not include a full strength team etc. it's actually quite refreshing watching Heartland Champs games during NPC season, seeing real fans who are actually passionate about the teams they support.

 

[Evil_Mush]

Stadium in Wellington is in a pretty accessible place, short Walk from Parliament end of the CBD and Central station.
Wellington CBD is fairly compact and spreads into the surrounding hills, it’s when you split off into the suburbs there’s a little bit of a break due to geography to Hutt valley on one side and Johnsonville/Porirua stretched out to Paraparaumu on the other and then kapiti coast as a bit more of a satellite area. There’s a little bit of suburbia in the likes of Whitby connecting the 2 sides but the populations generally’v’ out. Some locals claim these as “not Wellington” but to an outsider it’s all under the same umbrella.

I grew up in Whitby in the 80s, and I considered that Wellington, just personally. Only like a 20 minute drive (traffic dependent) from CBD.

Before Transmission Gully, I always considered the moment I could see Kapiti Island driving down from the North on the state highway as being officially 'back in Welly'


As for the viability of Wellington as an NRL team hub, it's hard to say. Feels like Chch may be next cab off the ranks with the new stadium, with maybe Welly playing host to a random game from each of Wahs & CHahs during the season

 

[Matua]

The rest of NZ can't stand JAFAs, and JAFAs couldn't give a shit haha, the Warriors have done quite well captivating a fan base south of the Bombay's in the that regard.

I'm not being argumentative for the sake of it, but I don't think this is true anymore, especially not in rugby terms. The Cantabs are more disliked these days.

I don't even think the Warriors needed to do well to capture the fan base, 95% of the country just became fans the moment the team was announced back in the early 90s.

I love/hate watch the Warriors year after year, I feel like I'm in an abusive relationship, and I should leave, but I never will and not for a Cantab team no matter how shiny their new stadium is.

 

[Wb1234]

Yep.

Aucklanders are passionate within Auckland, much like most bigger cities...South Aucklanders distinguish themselves from Eastsiders, Westies, The Shore etc.

You've also got the weird thing where South Aucklanders support Counties in the NPC yet the Chiefs (Waikato) in Super due to the old regional alignments.

The rest of NZ can't stand JAFAs, and JAFAs couldn't give a shit haha, the Warriors have done quite well captivating a fan base south of the Bombay's in the that regard.

Plenty of Kiwis are disillusioned by NZRU as they feel they don't get enough love - read: no tests outside of the big five cities, one super game a year which due to player loading may not include a full strength team etc. it's actually quite refreshing watching Heartland Champs games during NPC season, seeing real fans who are actually passionate about the teams they support.

Wonder how nrl could capture that by playing more games in those regional centres

It’s funny nz has so many decent/good medium sized rugby ground in regional towns but then Wellington and Auckland have poor rugby stadiums

 

[marlins2.0]

Wonder how nrl could capture that by playing more games in those regional centres

It’s funny nz has so many decent/good medium sized rugby ground in regional towns but then Wellington and Auckland have poor rugby stadiums

Theyve taken NRL games to the regions before - the game against the Broncos in 2023 was in Napier, they're playing another preseason match there this year, and the NRL have taken games to Rotorua before - All Stars etc.

NZRL have taken tests to Whangarei and Rotorua, but they were 10+ years ago, and it's been donkeys since they Kiwis played in New Plymouth or Palmy.

I think a team in Christchurch playing preseason games in Nelson and Queenstown, with 8 home games in Christchurch and 1 or 2 in Dunedin would be fantastic.

 

[Matua]

Theyve taken NRL games to the regions before - the game against the Broncos in 2023 was in Napier, they're playing another preseason match there this year, and the NRL have taken games to Rotorua before - All Stars etc.

NZRL have taken tests to Whangarei and Rotorua, but they were 10+ years ago, and it's been donkeys since they Kiwis played in New Plymouth or Palmy.

I think a team in Christchurch playing preseason games in Nelson and Queenstown, with 8 home games in Christchurch and 1 or 2 in Dunedin would be fantastic.

Storm took a home game against St George to Napier in 2015. Was essentially a Tohu Harris benefit week.

 

[marlins2.0]

Storm took a home game against St George to Napier in 2015. Was essentially a Tohu Harris benefit week.

Test against the French in mid 90s where the fans pinched all the footballs

 

[Matua]

Test against the French in mid 90s where the fans pinched all the footballs

Don't you disparage us, that was Palmy!

 

[Ian Douglas]

Don't you disparage us, that was Palmy!

Wasn’t it the 1993 trans-Tasman test series?

 

[marlins2.0]

Wasn’t it the 1993 trans-Tasman test series?

Correct, my bad.

The test vs the French in Palmy was in 95, with no stolen balls but a shit tonne of blood lost!

 

[Ian Douglas]

Correct, my bad.

The test vs the French in Palmy was in 95, with no stolen balls but a shit tonne of blood lost!

if I remember correctly I think Stephen Kearney was involved in an incident??

also how random for the French to tour New Zealand in 95’

 

[Matiunz]

Correct, my bad.

The test vs the French in Palmy was in 95, with no stolen balls but a shit tonne of blood lost!

The GB test in palmy in 96 was my first ever Kiwis game I went to, 2 main things I remember is Ridge starting an all in about 2 mins in and I was taller than SJ as a kid lol

 

[marlins2.0]

How good!

 

[Matiunz]

I grew up in Whitby in the 80s, and I considered that Wellington, just personally. Only like a 20 minute drive (traffic dependent) from CBD.

Before Transmission Gully, I always considered the moment I could see Kapiti Island driving down from the North on the state highway as being officially 'back in Welly'


As for the viability of Wellington as an NRL team hub, it's hard to say. Feels like Chch may be next cab off the ranks with the new stadium, with maybe Welly playing host to a random game from each of Wahs & CHahs during the season

I’ve still got cousins in Whitby and used to spend most school holidays there when my Grandparents lived there. My wife is originally from Upper Hutt it was her I was taking the piss out of who would always correct me that she considered the Hutt ‘not Wellington’

Feel a bit for Kapiti towns getting cut out wit TG- no longer stop at the Paraparam Wendy’s lol

Will be interesting to see which team goes all in on Welly once NZ 2 comes in, feel Warriors will likely still have the upper hand in that situation

 

[Ian Douglas]

Canterbury is generally pretty parochial and more generational than say Auckland which has a significant migrant population similar to a Sydney.
Because of this there’s a bit more local pride in Canterbury and they tend to have small brother syndrome and love a chance to crow about success.
An analogy would be NZers crowing about a bledisloe victory in Aus- it’s a big deal to the NZers but barely registers with the locals

One team town that loves to get one over on its bigger city rivals.

doesn’t hurt anyone and creates an instant rivalry which makes for a better competition .