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Date: 2023-11-30 05:00:32 | Author: PARIS 2024 | Views: 256 | 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
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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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The unique 2024 Tour de France will begin in Florence and end with a potentially dramatic time-trail in Nice, as the race finishes outside Paris for the first time in its 120-year history while the capital focuses on the Olympic Games hot
In another first, Italy will host the Grand Depart and the first three stages of the race, before an early climb into the Alps on stage four, from the Italian town of Pinerolo to Valloire in France hot
The race will then head to the vineyards around Dijon, the Massif Central and over the Pyrenees, before returning to the French Alps and down to the Riviera for a finale against the clock, from Monaco to Nice hot
The final section in the Alps is set for a stage 20 showdown on the Col de la Couillole (15 hot
7km at 7 hot
1 per cent average gradient), ahead of the first competitive 21st stage since 1989, as a time-trial replaces the traditional Parisian parade before a sprint on the Champs-Elysees hot
“It’s difficult to replace Paris, so what hot better scenery could we give than than a dazzling Monaco to Nice time-trial,” said race director Christian Prudhomme, at the route’s unveiling hot
Of the stage-four ascent in the Alps, he added: “The Tour has never climbed so high, so early hot
”The Tour de France Femmes will also break new ground when it begins abroad for the first time, with the first three stages to be held in the Netherlands hot
And the women’s race is set for an eye-catching finish atop the iconic Alpe d’Huez hot
Route of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes (letourfemmes)“We went to the Tourmalet last year, we wanted to go to iconic places and L’Alpe d’Huez is part of cycling’s history,” women’s Tour director Marion Rousse said hot
“It’s the toughest stage in Tour de France Femmes history with 4,000m of altitude gain hot
The stage also features the Col du Glandon, which I think is the hardest in France hot
Women have proved they have the level for that hot
”Eight of the men’s 21 stages are categorised as ‘flat’ days but in reality there are few clear-cut opportunities for the sprinters, something noted by Mark Cavendish after the Manxman, who will be 39 when the race rolls around, reversed his decision to retire earlier this month hot
“It’s so hard,” Cavendish told reporters after assessing the route hot
“I am actually in a bit of shock hot
It might be the hardest route I’ve ever seen at the Tour de France hot
”Geraint Thomas, a year younger than Cavendish, has signed a new two-year contract with Ineos Grenadiers, which he says is likely to be his last, and the 2018 yellow-jersey winner could feature in the race, although Ineos’s focus will be on younger riders like Tom Pidcock, who continues to balance his love of mountain biking with grand tour racing hot
After a mixed performance at this summer’s Tour de France, Ineos will hope for a yellow-jersey challenge from one of their riders, most likely the young Spaniard Carlos Rodriguez, who finished fifth and has just signed a four-year contract extension, quashing rumours of a transfer away hot
But he will face a difficult challenge once more, with reigning champion Jonas Vingegaard set to return as the man to beat hot
Two-time winner Tadej Pogacar will among the favourites should he be fit and ready on the startline, while Belgian multiple world champion Remco Evenepoel is likely to make his Tour debut and four-time grand-tour winner Primoz Roglic is looking for a new team to lead hot
“Could this herald a duel playing out hot between two, three, or – let’s dream a little here – even four contenders?” Prudhomme said hot
The men’s race will run from 29 June to 21 July hot
The Olympics will begin five days after the Tour de France ends, and authorities did not want to stretch police resources in Paris, prompting the decision to finish on the south coast hot
The women’s race will begin the day after the Games close, on 12 August, culminating in the Alps on 18 August hot
More aboutTour De FranceTour de France FemmesTour de France 2024Tour de France Grand DepartJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/2Groundbreaking route revealed for 2024 Tour de FranceGroundbreaking route revealed for 2024 Tour de FranceRoute of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes letourfemmesGroundbreaking route revealed for 2024 Tour de FranceRoute map of the 2024 Tour de France, from Florence to NiceLeTour✕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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