Surprising Makos swim against the tide [Nelson Mail]
If you go down to the park tomorrow, you could be part of a big surprise.
The Tasman Makos are not only bucking the established big boys in their first year in New Zealand's rugby premiership but they are swimming against the tide off it as well.
Crowd attendance at Makos games so far this season is well ahead of budget which is more than can be said of most other provincial rugby unions.
In the cavernous confines of Eden Park only 2000 turned up to watch the Makos battle to their first draw at the rugby fortress. Despite the miserable conditions, it was still a pitiful attendance for the country's biggest city.
Last Sunday just over 3000 turned up to Wellington's Westpac Stadium, and from the cheers generated many of them were fans of the boys from Tasman.
Mind you, they had a lot more to shout about, given the beating dished out to the woeful home side.
Naturally, that is part of the reason for the Makos bucking the trends. Their onfield success has drawn out the fans - more than 5000 to the Waikato match at Trafalgar Park, and 3500 against Taranaki on a cold Thursday night.
The same pattern was on show in Super 15 attendances. Apart from the successful Crusaders, the other New Zealand franchises had falling crowd numbers.
There are a host of factors at play here, but a central one is the law of diminishing returns. A calendar packed with rugby from February to November leaves all but the most diehard fan feeling stuffed. Their appetite for the national game is dimmed.
The saturation coverage on television contributes to this overload. Ironically, the very medium that provides much of rugby's funding may contribute to its emptier stadiums.
From the comfort of your own home you can watch every Super 15 and provincial match without battling traffic, poor weather and overpriced food and drinks.
Instead of putting its flagship Super competition on a stricter diet, the rugby leaders in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa have instead decided to keep on bingeing, adding three new teams in 2016. The ripple effect of a longer season must surely hurt the domestic game that produces much of the talent for the higher levels.
The New Zealand Rugby Union is reportedly concerned at the falling crowd numbers at provincial games. Its coffers are healthy from the All Blacks pulling power, but it doesn't want to become the sole financial saviour for the unions. There is a tricky balancing act to keeping all levels of the game healthy, but more needs to be done to draw live crowds. The Makos, on a limited budget, have been innovative here too, with sideline spa pools and tomorrow's animal "onsie" promotion.
- The Nelson Mail You should really go down to the park tomorrow to keep the surprises coming.
