New Zealand 2 will deal a massive blow to NZ rugby

[Perth Red]

The Orcas.
Solves the problem.

 

[Wb1234]

https://www.theroar.com.au/2025/02/05/all-blacks-star-calls-for-super-rugby-to-embrace-japan-to-survive-urges-nzr-to-expand-eligibility-policy/

Should’ve copyrighted that idea

 

[John bird]

Given the other stadiums available Wellington shouldn’t be a priority for nrl games

If the orcas are adopted they are going to have a mixed up branding

Are they just nz excluding Auckland ?

Or a South Island plus Wellington ?

Neither makes much sense

And the warriors will need to change their name back to Auckland

NZ2 needs to be based on the South Island full stop with Christchurch hosting the overwhelming majority of home games with maybe Dunedin getting 1 game and Nelson getting 1 game.

also bring back the Auckland warriors!!!

 

[Perth Red]

NZ2 needs to be based on the South Island full stop with Christchurch hosting the overwhelming majority of home games with maybe Dunedin getting 1 game and Nelson getting 1 game.

also bring back the Auckland warriors!!!

Warriors sell a lot of merch and have a good following outside of Auckland. Doubt they'll willingly drop the NZ tag for a population limiting rebrand.

 

[Matiunz]

NZ2 needs to be based on the South Island full stop with Christchurch hosting the overwhelming majority of home games with maybe Dunedin getting 1 game and Nelson getting 1 game.

also bring back the Auckland warriors!!!

Might be wrong but I don’t think they can actually operate under the name Auckland Warriors for legal reasons . That licence went bust which is why they rebranded as NZ Warriors when Watson got the NRL licence it essentially was all but a new club, ‘Auckland’ Warriors licence for example still owes on some player contracts etc

Regardless the majority of fans just call them the Warriors and rarely use the ‘nz’ part, even the club doesn’t use that unless they’re plugging the sponsor before one nz it was just Vodafone warriors. I’d say they’d just go the Dolphins route and just be ‘the’ Warriors

 

[Matiunz]

Given the other stadiums available Wellington shouldn’t be a priority for nrl games

If the orcas are adopted they are going to have a mixed up branding

Are they just nz excluding Auckland ?

Or a South Island plus Wellington ?

Neither makes much sense

And the warriors will need to change their name back to Auckland

You’d be in a similar situation to the likes of NY and LA that have 2 teams in most of the American leagues that seem to work fine. Most of the Sydney teams in NRL nor the Melbourne AFL teams tend to have fans rarely confined to the catchment area and it works fine

 

[Pippen94]

https://www.theroar.com.au/2025/02/05/all-blacks-star-calls-for-super-rugby-to-embrace-japan-to-survive-urges-nzr-to-expand-eligibility-policy/

Should’ve copyrighted that idea

Interesting if NRL ever thinks about Japanese team at some point?!

 

[Wb1234]

Interesting if NRL ever thinks about Japanese team at some point?!

Out of respect for donks should be Singapore ):

Realistically can’t see if happening not with Adelaide Ipswich Fiji and nz3

Even central coast in 20 years could put their hands up

I think we could see 24 teams in our lifetimes

Which since super league wanted 12 and got 14 teams it’s not too bad to recover from that

 

[Wb1234]

You’d be in a similar situation to the likes of NY and LA that have 2 teams in most of the American leagues that seem to work fine. Most of the Sydney teams in NRL nor the Melbourne AFL teams tend to have fans rarely confined to the catchment area and it works fine

The two teams that don’t have much of a geographic identity in Sydney are the ones that struggle the most (tigers and dragons)

Can’t go past Penrith as the benchmark for representing an area and get a lot of juniors who grew up there and are proud to represent

 

[Pippen94]

Out of respect for donks should be Singapore ):

Realistically can’t see if happening not with Adelaide Ipswich Fiji and nz3

Even central coast in 20 years could put their hands up

I think we could see 24 teams in our lifetimes

Which since super league wanted 12 and got 14 teams it’s not too bad to recover from that

I'm thinking if all bases covered done the track..but highly unlikely. If NRL grows to completely dominate the pacific leaves Japan as bastion for rugby

 

[Wb1234]

I'm thinking if all bases covered done the track..but highly unlikely. If NRL grows to completely dominate the pacific leaves Japan as bastion for rugby

Japanese union is a corporate plaything with big companies paying for teams and many fans are company employees

Loads of Imports many of who end up playing for the Japanese national team (have a look at how many islanders are in the cherry blossoms)

Fiji (with games in Tonga and Samoa) plus nz3 would give league more growth

That’s as much as the nrl can do realistically with clubs

Then they should focus on super league and get more French teams and a welsh team