Not really but that should attract the trolls from the fight club fairly quickly...
From Stuff...
From Stuff...
AB's fanbase grows
23 June 2006By JIM KAYES
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]As the air cools inside the stadium the call goes out, echoing around the ground and silencing the crowd.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"Ka Rite!" And 21 men tense, ready for the challenge, as their leader walks through them, chanting the traditional words "ringa ringa paki a" as the crowd finds its voice. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]And then his teammates begin. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"Ka mate, ka mate! Ka ora, ka ora!" [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]There is no more stunning sight than the All Blacks haka. There's also no more regular sight in international rugby. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]The All Blacks are the most sought after team in world rugby. This year they will play 13 tests, one short of the record 14 played in 2003 and the same number scheduled for next year. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]They would have played 15 tests next year, but the extra round (two games) of the Tri-Nations introduced this season will not be played next year because the World Cup starts in early September. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]It's a far cry from the one test New Zealand played against Scotland in 1975, or the seven they played in 1987 when six were during the World Cup. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]When rugby turned professional in 1996 it brought with it an avalanche of games at Super 12 and test match level that grew again this year with the Super 14 and the expansion of the Tri-Nations. This year the All Blacks will play as often as most of the Super 14 sides and more than any province. They will appear in four New Zealand cities and seven countries. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]An All Blacks test is now common. But have the All Blacks lost some of their uniqueness because we see them so often? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]No, is the resounding response. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"Every year we hear there are too many games, but the figures continue to go up," Sky's executive producer of rugby, Andrew Fyfe, said. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"We always worry about what will happen on the end of year tour because it's going into summer and it always surprises us to see it rating as well as ever. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"It is a surprise because the talk on radio is always of viewer fatigue, but that's not matched by viewership figures." [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]Those are comments that will reassure the New Zealand Rugby Union, which admits it often ponders how much is too much. The union's deputy chief executive, Steve Tew, is confident the mix is "about right now, but we constantly review it". [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]It was one of those reviews, after the 2003 World Cup, that convinced the NZRU the All Blacks had to be playing more to ensure they remain among the elite, a view supported by the coaches. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]But has it come at a cost? The All Blacks test side is now an ever changing beast as coach Graham Henry looks to give more players experience and stave off the effects of a long season. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]Last November a completely different starting XV ran out against Ireland in Dublin to the team that had played Wales in Cardiff a week earlier. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]It's happened again this week, with a team named last month to start against Argentina on Sunday after they sat out the two tests against Ireland.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]Any concerns, however, that Henry's mixing of his players has affected the image or brand of the All Blacks is shot down. The NZRU's sponsorship and marketing manager, Fraser Holland, points to the sold out sign at Waikato Stadium for the first Irish test in Hamilton and the 44,000 seats sold at Eden Park, Auckland, (which seats 45,000) as evidence. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"All Blacks fans understand the long-term objective. We all want to give the team the best possible chance to win the World Cup." [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]And while the All Blacks continue to win a 73.2 per cent winning record they will continue to be in hot demand with broadcasters, sponsors and fans. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]The All Blacks are rugby's prime drawcard, selling out tests. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]In Argentina on Sunday, when all eyes will be on their football team at the World Cup in Germany, 46,000 fans will turn up in Buenos Aires to watch the All Blacks play. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]Six years ago, the All Blacks had 16 sponsors. Today they have nine. Holland said that was a deliberate strategy to make it cleaner and easier for sponsors to leverage off the All Blacks. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]He says the fact seven of those sponsors have been with the All Blacks for at least 10 years is proof they provide value for money. Of the other two, Adidas joined in 1999 and have since extended their contract while Mastercard signed up a few years ago. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]It's not all rosy, however. Lion Nathan is reducing its Steinlager sponsorship, while Philips chose not to sponsor the June domestic tests this year so that it could focus on the Tri-Nations. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]The NZRU tried to sell the rights to the two tests, but couldn't find a buyer willing to pay its price. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]Despite that, Philips marketing manager Jane Waddel was upbeat about the company's links to the All Blacks. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]Waddel said the decision not to sponsor the Irish tests was to allow Philips to focus on the expanded Tri-Nations instead. So, had the bigger Tri-Nations diminished the attractiveness of the earlier tests? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"To us the All Blacks brand is still one of the most recognisable and strong brands in the New Zealand market. Selections don't affect that." [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]Grant Fox played 78 games and 46 tests for the All Blacks. He now sells advertising signs at grounds. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]He thinks rugby could be close to saturation point in New Zealand. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"I think there are too many test matches in the year. They could better manage player burnout with fewer test matches, but I understand the commercial side of it, too. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"The Rugby Union's major revenue stream is broadcasting, so they need a certain amount of product to deliver the revenue and there has to be a certain amount of quality to the product. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"If you want to keep the brand special which is when the All Blacks are performing at their peak you wouldn't want to turn them out too often. But you also need the product to generate the revenue. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"There is a delicate balance and I wonder if they are getting closer toward the maximum threshold. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"The market will tell us that." [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]Others agree. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]For four years Peter Parussini was the head of communications for the NZRU. Now he is the head of sponsorship at Telecom, one of the All Blacks' nine sponsors. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]Parussini says the NZRU has done a superb job milking the New Zealand sponsorship cow and was wise to have turned its attention offshore. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]The New Zealand market, he says, is cluttered. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]He disagrees with Holland's assertion that it is easy to get a return on the investment. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"The difficulty for sponsors is not only do you have to invest in purchasing the sponsorship property but you often have to invest in ground sign and broadcasting packages to leverage your association. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"So to successfully sponsor a sport like rugby in New Zealand you have to invest a lot of money." [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]Parussini also worries that the increase in matches across the board will prove too much for the wallets of New Zealanders. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"New Zealand is a market of only four million people and there must be a point where, with so many games available to choose from and at a particular price, Kiwis are no longer prepared to pay for a test ticket." [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]But Parussini supports the NZRU contention that their fan base is broader, more diverse and stronger than ever. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"The All Blacks have become our beacon for nationalism as Kiwis search in this globalised world for something uniquely New Zealand. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"People are bombarded daily through an increasing variety of media with American and European images and brands. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"So people who in the past might only have had a passing interest in rugby are drawn to the All Blacks as a way of demonstrating their New Zealandness." [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]Holland agrees, citing research that suggests 88 per cent of New Zealanders have an interest in rugby. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]And he is confident that the popularity of the All Blacks will survive future changes and challenges. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"The All Blacks are a combination of teams, players, tours and myths built over more than 100 years. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"The brand is a robust beast and it evolves, and will continue to evolve." [/FONT]
