Are the New Zealand now bigger than the sport of rugby itself?
Just days after breaking Irish hearts, several All-Blacks popped up in New York, in part to take in the sights and a few days leisure after the miraculous conclusion to their perfect season and in part because New York is the spiritual home of the team sponsor, AIG. So they visited a 9/11 fire station, they posed for photos at New York Stock exchange and they spent an evening watching the Brooklyn Nets disgrace their favourite colour – the Nets seem intent on illustrating you can also wear black and lose almost all of the time.
The intention is the visit will mark the beginning of a new relationship between the All-Blacks and untapped rugby market in the US. As a spokesperson for AIG put it, the company wants to “play its part in introducing the USA to the greatest sports team in the world”.
Over the past few weeks, as the New Zealanders gradually ticked off challenges from France, England and Ireland to complete their perfect season, there seemed to be something different about them. At first glance, they were as familiar as ever: yes, Ma'a Nonu remains the most physically imposing sports man since Mike Tyson was at his peak and yes, Richie McCaw's face seems to belong to a Dorothea Lange catalogue and no, you are never going to see Steve Hansen "betraying emotion" as he watches his team demonstrate their invincibility. It was only afterwards the penny dropped and you realised those three letters, AIG, was what was different. For once, the silver fern was not the most prominent motif on the jersey. Not since the heady days of Hank Paulson and the $85 billion dollar bail out has the financial giant been so prominent in our lives.
Glamorous recognition
When the All-Blacks arrived in Dublin for their last game of the season, they were quickly shepherded along to meet with the stars of the Dublin GAA firmament. The event was a glamorous recognition of Dublin GAA's new four-million sponsorship with AIG. It was a neat turn – members of the international AIG sporting family mingling and exchanging cultural nuggets etc. So McCaw and the boys did their bit with a hurl and made the right noises and the camera bulbs flashed and it was success. Still, it was strange to see the New Zealand stars on the hamster wheel of corporate sponsorship.
Any All-Blacks press event I ever attended was noticeably professional and organised and ran to schedule. But there was always the sense those days were designed by the management and for the team: that the All-Blacks controlled where they went and what they did and how long for. The same was true of their famous trip to Donegal to visit the birthplace of John Gallaher, captain of the Originals. Tana Umaga and others who made that journey were brilliant with the locals but there was little doubt they were there because they wanted to be rather than to partake in a public relations exercise.
The signs on this tour suggest that in future, the All-Blacks schedule will be designed with the brand in mind. The inclusion of Japan as an opponent on this year’s autumn schedule was the noticeable departure from the quality of opponent they played in their 14-game winning streak and the 54-6 score line reflected that. They were, of course, merely following the brand leaders of NBA basketball and English Premier League football to the East, where a lucrative market lies and where interest in rugby will grow as the years tick on towards the 2019 world cup.
Since striking a deal over a year ago, AIG are paying a reported NZ $15 million a year to sponsor New Zealand rugby (which sounds like terrific value) and so they want to showcase their team. If any rugby story is going to stir interest in America, it is the All Blacks. They possess the two attributes which Americans cherish most in sport: a serial-winning mentality and a fascinating tradition.
Even though there is plenty of violence and regular scoring, the Americans just aren't bothered with rugby. Maybe it's to do with a subconscious rejection of a sport associated with the British Empire. Maybe it's because they think the game is nuts. Or maybe it's because the American male just isn't comfortable with the whole head-between-the-legs-of-another-man demands of the scrum. Still, if anyone can convince them of the appeal of rugby, it is the All-Blacks. Playing a Test game in the America has become a priority. The main problem is it can't be against America because they are terrible at rugby; the mismatch would convince US fans the game was one of those weird European quirks. But if they can put together an exhibition game against a decent opposition, the fans will come.
US ambitions
The drive to "grow" the All-Blacks brand has accelerated. Completing the perfect season in Dublin was an important element of confirming their reputation as a team and country that stands alone in rugby union. As the Irish tried to make sense of the riot of emotions left by the nature of their defeat, the All-Blacks stayed on message. Delighted as they must have been to see Aaron Cruden's conversion sail between the posts, they retained the old New Zealand hauteur. They were fair in their praise of Ireland but always returned to the key fact: although they were disappointed with how they had performed, they were proud of how they had played their way back into the game. Then McCaw underlined the message when he said that he never stopped believing New Zealand were going to win.
In a radio interview former New Zealand wing Jonah Lomu said “for 78 minutes, they played the most perfect game I’d seen Ireland play”. It was haunting praise because it leaves the Irish wondering just what they have to do to get the win. But as the All-Blacks head back home, they leave the world of rugby in no doubt they are the special force. They have always had that allure, going back to the amateur days and through the 20 years post-1987 when they somehow conspired not to win the World Cup despite producing absurdly gifted squads.
This winter, they toured as champions and their skill and power has been as awesome as ever. But with their age-old devotion to perfecting and reimagining the game comes the new obligation to showcase the brand. Just two weeks ago, AIG won the sponsor of the year at Twickenham and among the congratulatory words came the promise this was just the start of a drive (and specifically All Black rugby) “to take rugby to more fans around the world”. So someday, a choice between a winter Test in Dublin or New York may come down not to history and tradition but to wherever the market is.
