There are five fewer teams playing in the Dunedin metropolitan rugby competition this season than there were last year. Since 1995, the year rugby went professional, the competition has lost a staggering 29 teams. Most of the damage was done in the 10 years from 1995 to 2005. The following decade was stable but the latest drop from 58 teams in 2016 to 53 teams in 2017 — an 8.6% fall — should have administrators worried.
The reasons for rugby’s decline are varied and complex, but a shrinking young population is certainly a significant factor. From 2005 to 2015, the number of secondary schoolchildren in the Dunedin area dropped by 743.That is a huge hurdle and rugby will have to adapt. We offer the following ideas for debate.
Reduce the bench
Idea: Rugby’s bench has grown from the two who used to pace the sidelines "in my day" to seven. And at international level, teams have eight reserves. Southern has five teams in the competition which means it has 35 players on the bench each week. There are another two teams right there.
Pros: No-one likes sitting on the bench, so a guaranteed game each week might keep people interested longer or even lure them off the couch.
Cons: Modern rugby is much more intense and part of the reason is because of the energy reserves bring to the game. There would also some health and safety concerns, particularly around how many front rowers were required on the bench.
Non-contested scrums
Idea: Most parents will tell you they would be nervous if their son or daughter wanted to play in the front row. The world has become much more safety-conscious, whether we like it or not. But perhaps we can wrap our props and hookers in cotton wool and have non-contested scrums.
Pros: It would remove a barrier which may be preventing people from playing the game.
Cons: A game without proper scrums is called rugby league. Also, how boring would a game be, without 25 scrum resets?
Night rugby
Idea: Saturday is just another day in the office nowadays and perhaps it is time to play the tournament at a time slot which better suits modern life such as Friday or Thursday night.
Pros: The great Kiwi weekend has been eroded and playing games in different time slots may help preserve the game.
Cons: A lack of floodlit venues in the city is a serious obstacle and the idea of going to a night game in mid-June is not that appealing. You could always shift rugby to summer and embrace our long twilight.
Loan players
Idea: A fit player who is not needed that week could be loaned to another club.
Pros: A club with, for example, two great centres could keep both players interested by providing playing opportunities.
Cons: It would make it hard for clubs to monitor players. Also the players might not be interested in turning out for a rival club.