Editorial: Rugby struggles more than just filling the Cake Tin

Wednesday, 8 July 2026

EDITORIAL: When the All Blacks run onto the field against Italy this week, it should be before a full house at Wellington’s Hnry Stadium. It may seem a little trivial against a backdrop of global instability, China launching rockets into the Pacific and looming interest rate rises, but test matches still promise moments of joy and fleeting bursts of national pride. They can even instil the optimism and confidence Wellington needs.

The All Blacks have a surprisingly poor record in Wellington. Unlike Fortress Eden Park, where they have not lost a test since France defeated them in 1994, Wellington has never quite felt like an impregnable home ground.

Night rugby has always disrupted dinner plans and, many would argue, is not as enjoyable as an afternoon test. The dewy ball and cold night air, however, affect both teams equally, while television rights help pay the bills.

That may partly explain why New Zealand Rugby has struggled to sell tickets, although it deserves credit for the family-friendly 5pm kick-off. It may also be because the opposition is Italy, traditionally viewed as a second-tier side, even though the Italians are a far better team than they once were.

Christchurch's new Te Kaha Stadium has also raised the bar. The old feral beer- and urine-soaked atmosphere of the embankment of decades ago has long since given way to a vibrant, family-friendly experience, while the roof means supporters no longer need a sleeping bag to enjoy a night test.

Wellington lacks an enclosed stadium, which would probably help ticket sales, but it does boast crowds that genuinely get behind the game. Aucklanders, by comparison, could do with rediscovering some of that joy.

While The Post would never wish the All Blacks to surrender the home-ground advantage of Eden Park, winning there has reached the point where retaining the fortress feels more like relief than celebration.

There is also a growing sense that rugby union is losing its lustre. It is no longer New Zealand's most-played sport and may soon slip to third. The All Blacks risk becoming the over-milked cash cow that underwrites the rest of the game, while grassroots rugby is struggling in parts of the country. New Zealand Rugby must ensure it has the resources to reinvest in junior rugby, particularly through the early teenage years when many children leave the game.

There is something deeper at work as well. The All Blacks are special, but they once reflected New Zealand back at itself. Professionalism — now 30 years old — inevitably changed that. The team still does so to a degree, but it has become such a polished commercial product that many New Zealanders find it harder to see themselves in their sporting heroes.

New Zealand Rugby has also become increasingly defensive. At times it has reflected the mediocrity found in too many corners of corporate New Zealand: management jargon, governance squabbles and poor strategic planning.

The organisation talks endlessly about the values of the All Blacks while media-training players to within an inch of their lives, tightly controlling access and invoking 'the black jersey' as a catch-all explanation for both on-field disappointments and off-field organisational failings.

There are signs of change. David Kirk made keeping children in the game a priority when he became chair in late 2024. Chief executive Steve Lancaster is settling into the role, while Dave Rennie appears to have already instilled a more adventurous style of rugby, if the opening test against France is any guide.

But the struggle to sell out the capital's only All Blacks test should not be dismissed. Rugby may still be New Zealand's national sport, but unless it adapts and rediscovers some of its loveliness, that status risks becoming more a matter of history and nostalgia than present-day reality.