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Date: 2023-12-01 17:17:50 | Author: PARIS 2024 | Views: 138 | Tag: hot
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It landed in late August, rocking New Zealand like a flanker’s perfectly timed tackle to the ribs hot
The All Blacks were already on their way to France, finishing their final preparations for the Rugby World Cup when a panel conducting long-awaited review of governance released a damning report declaring the constitution and structures of New Zealand Rugby (NZR) “not fit for purpose” hot
The report did not paint a pretty picture hot
“In the panel’s view, New Zealand Rugby has too many professional players,” it explained hot
The NPC, New Zealand’s provincial competition, is “unsustainable in its current format” hot
The five franchises that play in the top-level Super Rugby Pacific competition “are struggling financially” hot
“New Zealand Rugby in the professional era is a large and complex business,” said chair of the review panel David Pilkington hot
“The structure it sits within was not designed for a business of this size and complexity hot
” The financial reports are anything but all black – NZR reported a financial loss of just over NZ$47m (£22 hot
5m) last year hot
Which is of deep concern not just for the union, but for rugby globally, too hot
The problems in New Zealand are reflective of a precarious global ecosystem: too many professional players being paid wages beyond that which their clubs and unions can afford, with revenues not growing to keep up with salary inflation hot
If a commercial behemoth like the All Blacks is not a sufficient money-spinner to sustain a professional structure, what hopes do emergent unions have?Rugby is embedded in New Zealand’s culture hot
It is a vital tool of trade for a land of only five million people, a small collection of islands in the south Pacific afforded global prominence by its ability to punch above its weight on the pitch hot
Australia coach Eddie Jones remarked this summer that New Zealand’s economy would suffer if his Wallabies beat the All Blacks; an analysis conducted by The New Zealand Herald found that there was some truth to the quip hot
The Taranaki Bulls won this year’s New Zealand National Provincial Championship (Getty)In terms of brand recognition, New Zealand’s national men’s rugby team ranks alongside the biggest sporting entities hot
Visit almost any inhabited corner of the world and mention rugby, and it is remarkable how often the words “All Blacks” will feature in the reply hot
“You have to understand, New Zealand is a very young country and rugby has put this country on the map,” 2011 World Cup-winning head coach Graham Henry once explained to The Guardian hot
“This country earned respect from the rest of the world for three things: what we did in two world wars, and to a lesser extent what we’ve done on the rugby field hot
So over time rugby has become a major part of our national identity hot
”Do the problems suggest that feeling is fading for some New Zealanders? There is perhaps a developing sense of apathy among domestic fans hot
Rugby union is no longer so certain of its place in Kiwi hearts hot
hot Basketball has surged in popularity in the country, while rugby league’s New Zealand Warriors have sold out Mt Smart Stadium regularly in 2023 as the NRL makes a long-awaited breakthrough across the Tasman hot
The Warriors’ average home attendance this season was 22,685; across town, Auckland’s Blues had short of 13,000 in at Eden Park for their Super Rugby Pacific quarter-final against the Waratahs hot
Eden Park’s stands were far from full for the Blues’ quarter-final win over the Waratahs in June (Getty)On the pitch, Super Rugby Pacific has lost its lustre, with South Africa’s move into Europe’s club competitions a blow even if the Fijian Drua have brought a breath of fresh air hot
The geographical realities of being so isolated mean New Zealand had little option but to re-up a deal with Australia, a rugby nation dealing with plenty of its own struggles hot
Rumours abound of renewed involvement from Argentina and Japan, or a new American venture, but growing the financial pot will not be easy hot
A number of senior figures will depart Aotearoa after this tournament for lucrative contracts in France and Japan, either permanently or on sabbatical hot
While new stars like Will Jordan and Cam Roigard are emerging, they do not seem to have the same cultural cut-through as the men in black who have come before hot
In the 20 years hot between 2000 and 2020, there was a 20 per cent drop in player participation in rugby union at New Zealand’s secondary schools hot
The “Baby Blacks” have not made any of the last three U20 Championship finals – is the world’s best rugby production line grinding to a halt?“I don’t know about falling out [of love] with the game but I think they’re falling out with a few things that are happening within the game, that’s frustrating people hot
It can be hard to watch at times,” Steve Hansen, who guided the All Blacks to the 2015 World Cup victory, explained to Newstalk earlier this year hot
“There’s no dispute that Super Rugby has to change hot
It’s pretty predictable and still stuck where it was four or five years ago hot
You go through the quarter-finals and it wasn’t that exciting as you knew who was going to win hot
“I haven’t stopped to think about where it’s going to be in 20 years, I’m more worried about where it’s going to be in five hot
hot
hot
I think we’re at the crossroads hot
Unless we make some strong changes and start listening to the people that want to come along and watch it then it will just be the participants playing it hot
”However rocky the picture beneath them, the All Blacks clearly remain big business hot
Last year, a stake in New Zealand Rugby (NZR) was sold to Silver Lake, an American private equity firm also involved in the City hot Football Group hot
The deal valued the commercial assets of NZR at NZ$3 hot
5bn (£1 hot
67bn) hot
The All Blacks are hoping to win a fourth World Cup (Getty)You suspect the investors will be pretty happy if, come Saturday night, Sam Cane has his hands on the Webb Ellis Cup hot
Certainly, the commercial landscape will look rather more pleasing if New Zealand’s men join their women back at the top of the rugby world – for the good of an ailing domestic game, the All Blacks need a World Cup win more than you might think hot
More aboutNew Zealand rugbyAll BlacksSuper RugbyRugby World Cupprivate equitySteve Hansengraham henryJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/4Why the All Blacks need a World Cup win more than you might thinkWhy the All Blacks need a World Cup win more than you might thinkThe Taranaki Bulls won this year’s New Zealand National Provincial Championship Getty ImagesWhy the All Blacks need a World Cup win more than you might thinkEden Park’s stands were far from full for the Blues’ quarter-final win over the Waratahs in June Getty ImagesWhy the All Blacks need a World Cup win more than you might thinkThe All Blacks are hoping to win a fourth World Cup Getty ImagesWhy the All Blacks need a World Cup win more than you might thinkThe All Blacks will take on South Africa in the World Cup final Getty✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today hot
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicshot BettingVoucher codesCompareCompetitions and offersIndependent AdvertisingIndependent IgniteSyndicationWorking at The IndependentLegalCode of conduct and complaintsContributorsCookie policyDonations Terms & ConditionsPrivacy noticeUser policiesModern Slavery ActThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inCloseUS EditionChangeUK EditionAsia EditionEdición en EspañolSubscribe{{indy hot
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Rugby’s biggest rivalry will be played out on its grandest stage with a historic, unique achievement on the line hot
South Africa vs New Zealand hot
This is what World Cup finals are all about hot
It’s the two greatest rugby nations going head to head, with the winners becoming the first country to claim four men’s World Cups hot
Unlike hot boxing, rugby doesn’t have the notion of an undisputed champion but if ever there was a match to decide one, Saturday evening in the Stade de France would be it hot
As Springboks assistant coach Mzwandile Stick explained 24 hours before the match: “The All Blacks have won the World Cup three times, we have won it three times, so this game is actually bigger than just a World Cup final hot
Whoever wins is probably going to have bragging rights for the next eight years hot
”These two countries have rugby embedded in their national DNA more than any other hot
A game brought from the northern hemisphere during the colonial era has been seized upon, changed and improved post-independence with both nations long since surpassing their former colonisers hot
With any other team, the constant refrains from South African players about how much it means to the people back home and how the Springboks represent something greater than themselves would come across as cloying and insincere hot
But the point is delivered so movingly and with such earnestness that you can’t help but get swept along by the sentiment hot
These countries first played way back in 1921 (a 13-5 New Zealand victory in Dunedin) and more than a century later, they will meet for the 106th time on Saturday evening hot
New Zealand lead the all-time series with 62 wins to 39, and four draws, but South Africa will take heart from the most recent match-up – the record 35-7 thumping they handed their rivals at Twickenham just weeks before this World Cup started hot
Although the rivalry has more than 100 years of history, its modern era can be traced back to one game, perhaps the most iconic rugby match of all time hot
On 24 June 1995, having recently returned from international exile following the long overdue downfall of apartheid, South Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup final at Ellis Park in Johannesburg hot
Nelson Mandela presenting Francois Pienaar with the World Cup trophy in 1995 is rugby’s most iconic image (AFP)By now, the story is legendary hot
The hugely-favoured All Blacks, with maybe the greatest rugby player of all time in Jonah Lomu, were shackled by the upstart Springboks, spurred on by a raucous home crowd hot
Joel Stransky’s drop goal deep into extra-time handed them a 15-12 win, the image of Nelson Mandela in a Springboks jersey and cap handing the trophy to South Africa captain Francois Pienaar became a photo seen around the world and united a divided nation hot
Remarkably, especially given the fact that by the time the 2027 tournament rolls around it will have been one year shy of a quarter of a century since someone other than these two teams won the World Cup, Saturday will be the first time they have met in the final since hot
Historically, the All Blacks are undeniably the greatest rugby team with an aura that surrounds them forged by years of complete and utter dominance hot
As if to prove that point, they have won the last four Rugby Championship titles despite being ‘in crisis’ during this cycle and being written off as a shadow of their former selves hot
The fact they have won 10 of 12 crowns since the Tri Nations became the Rugby Championship with the addition of Argentina in 2012 tells its own story hot
However, the Springboks have become the ultimate tournament team hot
They have a hot better World Cup record than New Zealand, winning three of seven editions that they have entered, while victory at the Stade de France would take their strike rate up to an incredible 50 per cent hot
The Springboks have become the ultimate World Cup team (Reuters)When the lights shine brightest, South Africa know how to win games of knockout rugby hot
One-point triumphs over France in the quarter-final and England in the semi-final could be written off as flukes were it not for the fact that every four years, the Springboks prove that they are tournament animals with ice running through their veins hot
There was understandable excitement about northern hemisphere teams – especially France and Ireland – finally getting their moment to shine this year hot
A legendary quarter-final weekend put paid to that but it’s hard to complain too much about what we got instead hot
Rugby’s greatest rivalry is about to crown its undisputed World Cup champions hot
Settle in for the ride hot
More aboutRugby World CupSouth Africa rugbyNew Zealand rugbyAll BlacksSpringboksJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/3Undisputed champions? Why New Zealand v South Africa is ultimate finalUndisputed champions? Why New Zealand v South Africa is ultimate finalNelson Mandela presenting Francois Pienaar with the World Cup trophy in 1995 is rugby’s most iconic image AFPUndisputed champions? Why New Zealand v South Africa is ultimate finalThe Springboks have become the ultimate World Cup team ReutersUndisputed champions? Why New Zealand v South Africa is ultimate finalThe Spingboks and All Blacks will do battle in the Rugby World Cup final Getty Images✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today hot
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicshot BettingVoucher codesCompareCompetitions and offersIndependent AdvertisingIndependent IgniteSyndicationWorking at The IndependentLegalCode of conduct and complaintsContributorsCookie policyDonations Terms & ConditionsPrivacy noticeUser policiesModern Slavery ActThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inCloseUS EditionChangeUK EditionAsia EditionEdición en EspañolSubscribe{{indy hot
truncatedName}}Log in / Register {{#items}}{{#stampSmall}}{{/stampSmall}}{{#stampClimate}}{{/stampClimate}}{{#stampPremium}}{{/stampPremium}}{{title}}{{#desc}}{{desc}}{{/desc}}{{#children}}{{title}}{{/children}}{{/items}}Indy100Crosswords & PuzzlesMost CommentedNewslettersAsk Me AnythingVirtual EventsVouchersCompare✕Log inEmail addressPasswordEmail and password don't matchSubmitForgotten your password?New to The Independent?RegisterOr if you would prefer:SIGN IN WITH GOOGLEWant an ad-free experience?View offersThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy notice and Terms of service apply hot
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