Rugby may be losing its grip on the nation but most New Zealand fans still think Graham Henry is the right man to coach the All Blacks through to the 2011 World Cup.
Those were the key findings in a report entitled "The All Blacks: Looking Towards The World Cup" released yesterday.
The report, produced by research company UMR, claimed interest in rugby was now at "an historically low level" in New Zealand.
Of the 750 people questioned in a national telephone survey, just 60% said they were "very" or "fairly" interested in rugby.
That was the lowest level in the history of the survey, dating back to 1993, UMR said.
Before this survey, interest in rugby had fluctuated between a high of 79% - during the 2003 World Cup in Australia - and a low of 63%.
Rugby was still the most popular of the six sports rated, followed by netball (49% were very or fairly interested), cricket (48%), rugby league (43%), rowing (41%) and football (37%).
But any sign of interest in rugby slipping is likely to add to the feeling the sport is losing its lustre because of issues like saturation coverage, player rotation and an excessive focus on All Black and Super rugby.
Henry's sixth year as All Black coach has been disappointing, with three losses in six tests fuelling debate over whether he should have been re-appointed, either after the 2007 World Cup loss or before this year's Tri-Nations started.
After 2007, the UMR survey showed 61% of New Zealanders (not just rugby fans) supported Henry's re-appointment.
The latest survey shows 64% of people interested in rugby back Henry keeping the job through to 2011.
Support for him was higher in the younger demographic - 75% among those aged under 30 compared to 61% among those aged 45 and over - while just 37% of Cantabrians, still stinging from the loss of favourite son Robbie Deans to the Wallabies, supported Henry.
The survey was conducted the weekend the All Blacks played, and beat, the Wallabies at Eden Park.
One can assume Henry's approval rating would not be so high this week, following the back-to-back losses in South Africa.
The survey also asked which of 10 leading players would still be in the All Blacks when the 2011 World Cup rolled around.
Richie McCaw (82%), Mils Muliaina (79%) and Rodney So'oialo (69%) had the most support, while just 50% thought Highlanders captain Jimmy Cowan and veteran Crusaders lock Brad Thorn would still be in the team.
A UMR spokesman told the Otago Daily Times yesterday the survey had not been commissioned by anyone with a vested interest.
It was solely a UMR initiative.
