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New Zealand 2 will deal a massive blow to NZ rugby

Gobsmacked

Bench
Messages
3,104
A Kiwi on here made a very good point recently and it really struck home for me.
Try as it might apart from a few All Black home Test matches nothing can match the hype generated around NRL.
For whatever reason even if super rugby was going better it cannot match the hype levels that the NRL generates, the reasons for that are probably myriad, but I think we can agree it is probably true, League`s social media presence is pretty impressive,it is a media juggernaut for nine months and now we have Vegas to kick things off every year, and guess who`s going next year. Do you think that might get a bit of hype back in NZ ?
That`s what union in NZ are up against, and like any new product bursting into the market with the right social media campaign behind it, it will be very hard to stop, especially in this day and age.
All NRL needs in NZ now is more shop fronts, i.e. teams for fans to engage with.
If you break it down to Rugby of any kind:
The Nrl are the biggest Rugby competition in the world... let that fully sink in.. no other Rugby competition on the planet comes close! 17 teams full of 12 million dollars worth of talent a piece. 240 million dollars in talent playing in front of an average crowd of just under 20k for 7 months of the year, action and drama packed with close contest all season long.
For a Rugby loving nation.. to think having that on your doorstep can't dethrone Union? I find that laughable.
 

BuffaloRules

Coach
Messages
15,432
I remember when people said MMA will never challenge boxing..
A better thing is a better thing and will always succeed in time over something inferior. Only question is how long?
Only the current trajectory of both sports with a second NZ side, I'd say between 10 and 20 years.

Football codes are different to MMA and boxing ….different audiences and competition formats … your favourite MMA boxer isnt competing every week…

About 20 years ago … the shoe was on the other foot for a New York minute, and after the success of the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia, you had all the Union mouth pieces in the media like Fitzsimmons and MIke Carlton telling us that the NRL was dead and Union was taking over in NSW and QLD as the biggest code ..

What I said then I say now ( about NZ) … it’s very difficult for one football code to supplant another one anywhere in the world …particularly when the already biggest code has dominated for decades or even a century previously and is part of the cultural identity of that place …

The NRL in our lifetimes will never take over in NZ as the Number one football code ..but it doesnt have too… just keep building the support and talent pool and I think the NRL will happy with that..
 
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Wb1234

Immortal
Messages
33,294
Australia and nz rugby union tv deals (tests and super rugby) combined total 140 million

Nrl tv deal 400 million and soon to go up to 550 million

Nrl revenue 730 million pa

Nzru and aru combined revenue 400 million with 40 million pa coming from the irb to prop up the aru

Aru is 80 million in debt and if all things go to plan with the lions tour and World Cup the loan will get paid off

Nrl has 300 million in net assets and is aiming for one billion

In an era of all rugby codes being professional it all comes down to money
 

flippikat

First Grade
Messages
5,177
Don’t disagree

But super rugby is in a death spiral in Australia

And nz can’t support a fully pro comp on its own which makes enough money
You make some great points beyond this, but what I've quoted is the crux of the issue.

Generally speaking, NZ professional sports teams NEED to be part of international (usually Australian based) competitions to pay the bills.

With Australian rugby union in deep deep trouble, NZ rugby is vulnerable. Despite RU traditionalists saying we should make NPC provincial rugby professional, the maths for that doesn't work.
 

Gobsmacked

Bench
Messages
3,104
Football codes are different to MMA and boxing ….different audiences and competition formats … your favourite MMA boxer isnt competing every week…

About 20 years ago … the shoe was on the other foot for a New York minute, and after the success of the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia, you had all the Union mouth pieces in the media like Fitzsimmons and MIke Carlton telling us that the NRL was dead and Union was taking over in NSW and QLD as the biggest code ..

What I said then I say now ( about NZ) … it’s very difficult for one football code to supplant another one anywhere in the world …particularly when the already biggest code has dominated for decades or even a century previously and is part of the cultural identity of that place …

The NRL in our lifetimes will never take over in NZ as the Number one football code ..but it doesnt have too… just keep building the support and talent pool and I think the NRL will happy with that..
A this rate the NRL doesn't even need to " supplant " Union. Super Rugby will die off all by itself leaving a massive void.
 

BuffaloRules

Coach
Messages
15,432
Australia and nz tv deals combined 140 million

Nrl tv deal 400 million and soon to go up to 550 million

Nrl revenue 730 million pa

Nzru and aru combined revenue 400 million with 40 million pa coming from the irb to prop up the aru

Aru is 80 million in debt and if all things go to plan with the lions tour and World Cup the loan will get paid off

Nrl has 300 million in net assets and is aiming for one billion

In an era of all rugby codes being professional it all comes down to money

And Union will always be able to offer their best athletes plenty of money to play their game ..even if it’s in places like Japan and Europe
 

Wb1234

Immortal
Messages
33,294
And Union will always be able to offer their best athletes plenty of money to play their game ..even if it’s in places like Japan and Europe
If they play overseas they can’t play for the all blacks

Plus don’t care if they do go overseas we are talking about dominating the nz market
 

BuffaloRules

Coach
Messages
15,432
It’s a battle for elite rugby talent

30 percent of all nrl players come from nz and it’s rising

If the all blacks are left to pick from players overseas whilst the nrl keeps raising union in nz that’s a win for league lol

We are talking about which will be the No 1 code in NZ
 

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