#nzru

To make up for The Editors slackness in getting episodes edited and released here is another of the episodes that were recorded before NumberNine was on holiday. As you can hear in the intro, this episode should have been released later March / Early April in time for Easter, but better late than never as they say.

In this episode NumberNine and The Fool further delve into the oval ball codes in NZ and Australia, looking into Rugby Union, Rugby League and even a tiny bit of Australian Rules Football. They also look over the mostly finalised Silver Lake deal that the New Zealand Rugby Union has agreed in principle (still being ratified by provincial unions) which now has the backing of the Players Association.  The pair discuss why this is a better deal, and also discuss the state of Super Rugby in NZ and Australia, as well as a bit on the state of world rugby. Then the world of NRL is examined, and the upcoming season through the eyes of one-eyed Warriors fans (albeit before the recent spat of games).

Another new to you, but actually old, podcast is here and you can listen over in the concepts area of the blog. This episode was recorded back in May 2021 just after the release of the details for the first Silver Lake deal with the NZ Rugby Union, and the controversy around that as the players and some fans didn't like it. This episode covers the way sport is played in NZ, and how where you come from or what school you go to impacts on which sport you end up playing. It also covers how new sports, and especially American sports, are changing this dynamic with US colleges looking for new talent here in NZ. 

Wellington is the capital of New Zealand. Not only do they have many New Zealand government and Parliament buildings downtown, they also have many sport administrative buildings as well. We had the opportunity to visit NZRU, the headquarters of rugby in New Zealand. 

We learned about the history of rugby in New Zealand, as well as their communication and marketing techniques. However, the part of the tour that interested me the most was when our tour guide told us about their partnership with Gatorade. 

I continued to wonder why NZRU did not partner with Powerade, the most popular sports energy drink in New Zealand. This would have allowed them to reach a wider market of New Zealanders that may not have been as interested in rugby. 

However, one of our lecturers, Toni Bruce, stated that many New Zealanders pretend to like the sport of rugby, because rugby in New Zealand is everything. If a New Zealander claims to dislike rugby, they will be “outcasted”. It’s the equivalent of an American saying they don’t like the sport of football. So, it would not make sense for NZRU to partner with Powerade, when the rugby All Black brand is the most well-known brand in New Zealand. 

NZRU has been very successful in the country of New Zealand, but their end goal is to take NZRU on a more global level. They partnered with Gatorade to help put their brand in many different places of the world. This partnership was going to put the NZRU brand out to many new people, hopefully like the Premier League in the UK. 

However, our tour guide stated that he was not a fan of the partnership with Gatorade so far, because the only thing that Gatorade had done to increase NZRU brand is have their athlete partners introduce the All Black brand to the Gatorade family. They have not been seeing exponential returns on their partnership with Gatorade. So, what will the future hold for Gatorade and NZRU? Hopefully, better things!! 

On Wednesday and Thursday we had the chance to visit Sport New Zealand and New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU). At Sport New Zealand we learned about their mission to make New Zealand the most successful sporting nation. They try to achieve this by focusing on community level sport. One of the representatives was originally from the UK, and it was interesting to hear about how they combat childhood obesity and sport participation. In the UK they do not show fast food advertisements on children’s networks and there is no candy on the shelves in check out lines at stores. New Zealand is the most active nation but the 8th most obese nation so it is fascinating to hear about how they balance that.

Richie McCaw retires from rugby

Richie McCaw has today confirmed he is hanging up his boots and retiring from professional rugby.

The 34-year-old All Blacks captain and most capped All Black of all time has drawn the curtain on his stunning international career which started in Dublin 14 years ago, almost to the day, and ended in London last month when he hoisted the Webb Ellis Cup aloft for the second time.

"In my opinion, he will go down not only as the greatest All Black of all time, but the greatest captain we have ever had and possibly the greatest player to have ever played the game in the modern era.

"His ability as a leader will be something he will be remembered for. Leadership doesn't come to anyone naturally, it's a learned skill. After the adversity of 2007 and the criticism that came with that, Richie's mental toughness and desire to improve really shone through. It's those qualities that have made him, in my view, the greatest leader of the All Blacks of all time.

— All Blacks Head Coach Steve Hansen

Air New Zealand, partenaire de la Fédération néo-zélandaise de rugby, sort un spot publicitaire parodiant Men in Black avec les All-Blacks  Richie McCaw, Sam Whitelock, Dan Carter, Keven Mealamu, Israel Dagg et Steve Hansen. 

Plus quelques guests star étrangères comme  l'Anglais Martin Johnson, l'Australien David Campese et l'Argentin Agustin Pichot déguisés en créatures spaciales pour l'occasion

It's bullshit!! You have guys that have worked their asses off in the Super 15 in hopes of getting a chance to play before the World Cup, unlike SBW who just goes where the fame and money are.

I'm disgusted in the NZRU for allowing it to happen and i hope to God that Hanson doesn't put him in the team.

He can't pick and choose whenever he fucking feels like it.

Summer Tests:

New Zealand 28 - 27 England