Rugby league in New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Rugby league in New Zealand dates back to the very beginning of the sport in England. It is today a popular team sport
played in New Zealand
with participation and interest considered to be concentrated in the Auckland region
. There are around 22,000 registered rugby league players in New Zealand.
New Zealand played an integral role in the history of rugby league football. Of all rugby league nations New Zealand was second only to England to compete in international competition.
The first makings of a New Zealand rugby football schism, such as seen in other countries was the creation of Albert Henry Baskerville
who set out to sign a group of professional rugby players to tour England. Baskerville's team of professional "All Golds", on their way to England, made a stop over in Australia, playing a 3 game series against a professional New South Wales rugby team. From there, they went on to England and for the first time, played by the Northern Union
's rules. On their return home, they stopped over in Australia to play another 10 games against clubs from the newly formed New South Wales Rugby League.
During the All Gold's tour, their founder, Baskerville fell ill and later died of pneumonia. 13 June 1908 saw the first game of rugby league played by the Northern Union's new rules on New Zealand soil; as a benefit match for Baskerville's widowed mother. The first match in New Zealand was played at Wellington on 13 June 1908 before a crowd of nearly 7,000, which saw an exhibition between two teams drawn from the touring side.
Rugby league had now its sights firmly set on New Zealand, however, the New Zealand Rugby Union's infiltration into every aspect of New Zealand society, government and business would prove a lot tougher than the unions of Australia or England. The NZRU took it upon themselves to pressure potential converts, officials, sponsors and ground owners into not giving the rugby league upstarts any room to move. The Wellington Rugby Union even went to the length of naming, under false pretenses, famous players in the team lineup for a match at Athletic Park
in order to lure interest away from a Northern Union
match being played in Petone
on the same day.
None of this succeeded in stopping the establishment of the game and by 1910 it was being played in Auckland
, Taranaki, Rotorua
, Nelson
, Southland
, Wanganui
, Marlborough
, Invercargill
, Hawke's Bay
, and South Auckland. The New Zealand Rugby League was formed in 1909 and other provinces joined the league.
In the year after that, Auckland Rugby League became the first to start a regular competition. The Auckland League had a full season in 1912, with its headquarters at Eden Park. That same year saw the formation of Wellington's local rugby league competition.
In 1913 Henry Thacker
set up the Canterbury Rugby Football League, donating the Thacker Shield
.
Rugby league made great advances since the Second World War. It was well established between 1918 and 1939, but many strong leagues went into recess between 1939 and 1945, never to revive, or to suffer severely from the loss of players. Rotorua, Otago, and Northland were examples. Those areas, strong provinces before the war, are only starting to make good progress.
Ironically, New Zealand founded the fully international rugby league, was responsible for strengthening English professional rugby and gave the rugby rebels of Australia a leg up, which resulted in the formation of the New South Wales Rugby League. However, they weren't able to replicate their overseas success to the same levels on home soil.
By the early 1990s New South Wales' club competition matches were being broadcast in New Zealand with far greater viewing numbers than that of domestic rugby union.
A New Zealand club team, the Auckland Warriors, was added to the top-level Australian Rugby League
competition in 1995
. Soon after when the Australian Super League war
shook the game to its very foundations in that country, the New Zealand Rugby League
, along with the governing body in Britain, aligned itself with Super League. The Warriors continued to participate in the National Rugby League
competition after many expansion teams were cut and foundation teams merged. In 2001
the club's name was changed to New Zealand Warriors.
In 2005, the New Zealand national side won the tri-nations
final, beating Australia 24-0. This was the first series defeat of Australia in 25 years.
The New Zealand national team won the Rugby League World Cup
for the first time in 2008.
In 2009, the much-mooted State of Origin
-like concept called "Kiwi Roots", which would involve two domestic New Zealand representative teams playing each other, was announced to commence in 2010. but has yet to eventuate.
In 2010 a poll released by UMR Research showed that in Auckland, home of the Warriors
, more people were interested in the NRL
premiership (33%) than rugby union's ITM Cup (26%).
is a partner of the NZRL and is responsible for the governing the sport in the Auckland Region
.
The premier competition organised by the governing body of rugby league in New Zealand is the National Provincial Competition
, formed in 2008. Significant former competitions included the Lion Red Cup
, run from 1994–96, and the Bartercard Cup
, run from 2000-07.
On a regional level, the sport is administered by fifteen districts,
six of which field representative teams in the National Provincial Competition:
The nine who do not compete in the NPC are:
New Zealand based teams also take part in Australian competitions New Zealand Warriors
are the only non-Australian team in the National Rugby League
and Auckland Vulcans
participate in the New South Wales Cup.
(NRL) is Australia's top level competition for the sport of rugby league.
The New Zealand Warriors
are New Zealand
's only side in the National Rugby League. Wellington Orcas
unsuccessfully bid for a National Rugby League license in 2006.
The National Rugby League
, in recent years has become a hotbed of talent for up and coming New Zealand players. Most of these players are of Māori or other Pacific Islander origin, a number of Māori also play in the European Super League
.
There may be many reasons why rugby league is more popular among those of Pacific Islander origin. Size is an important aspect in rugby league which emphasizes heavy body contact and Pacific Islanders are on average significantly larger than caucasian New Zealanders, Asian New Zealanders and Maori New Zealanders. The game is also seen as a means of defending and maintaining Polynesian cultural identities against a white establishment.
Another theory is that Auckland has more Māori and Pacific Islanders than other parts of New Zealand and Auckland is the centre of rugby league in New Zealand.
, Manukau
, Greater Auckland, North Harbour
and Waitakere
participate in rugby league more so then any other area of New Zealand. This is not surprising, as Auckland is New Zealand rugby league's founding city. In any 2 week period, 3% of young people in Auckland will play rugby league; 50% greater than the next largest participants of rugby league, Waikato
and the Bay of Plenty
, not too far from Auckland.
Heading further south, the likelihood of finding those who participate in rugby league decrease the further south one goes. The next largest regions to play rugby league are those of the southern and western areas of the northern island; Northland, Taranaki, Wanganui
and Manawatu, Wellington
and the central east and western parts of the south island: Canterbury
and Westland
. These areas share a decrease in participation by 50% in comparison to Waikato and the Bay of Plenty or by 66% in comparison to Auckland.
Perhaps the most interesting thing to have come from these statistics is that rugby league appears to be less popular in the Hawke's Bay
& Eastland regions of the northern island then some areas of the southern island. This goes against the general perception that rugby league is a strong sport in this region of New Zealand. The Hawke's Bay region has a participation rate of: nil, less than 1% or just not worth recording; much like the areas of the New Zealand, not yet mentioned: Otago
, Southland
, Tasman
and Northland; Northland also being on the North Island.
Nearly every region in New Zealand participates in rugby league to some extent; again the general perception of the north being the strongest regions for rugby league are echoed in adult participation figures. The Hawks Bay and Eastland region represents an area where massive differences are seen in terms of rugby league participation. Going by participation rates alone for juniors, this region could be perceived as a rugby league waste land; for adults, the picture couldn't be much different; in any 4 weeks, 3% of its adults population will participate in rugby league; equal to the participation rate of Auckland.
Another interesting difference between adults and youth participation is the proximity between rugby league and rugby union participation. In each case, rugby union is the more popular code, but rugby league in many cases throughout the Auckland region is almost on par with rugby union . This is out of line with the junior and youth participation, where rugby union far outnumbers league.
Taking New Zealand as a whole, rugby league does not rate among the top 15 sports in New Zealand among male adults. In comparison, rugby union is the 5th most popular sport in New Zealand for men, behind other team sports such as touch rugby and cricket. However, the 18-24 year age bracket suggests rugby league is the 13th most played sport by adults (male and female); the same segregation rates rugby union as 7th most popular sport.
So whilst rugby league is not the most popular sport in New Zealand, there are regions and people that share significant interest in it. One should also note, that this section talks only about participation. Various sports may suffer from participation for various reasons, such as, issues specific to demographics discussed or risk of injury. Risk of injury is a major topic when looking at participation for rugby league. For more information on the impact of risk of injury in rugby league, refer to the age section of Rugby league in Australia
article.
. On 22 October 2008, The Kiwis defeated Australia
to win their first Rugby League World Cup
and will hold the title of World Champions until at least the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.
Team sport
A team sport includes any sport which involves players working together towards a shared objective. A team sport is an activity in which a group of individuals, on the same team, work together to accomplish an ultimate goal which is usually to win. This can be done in a number of ways such as...
played in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
with participation and interest considered to be concentrated in the Auckland region
Auckland Region
The Auckland Region was one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, named for the city of Auckland, the country's largest urban area. With one third of the nation's residents, it was by far the biggest population and economy of any region of New Zealand, but the second-smallest land area.On 1...
. There are around 22,000 registered rugby league players in New Zealand.
New Zealand played an integral role in the history of rugby league football. Of all rugby league nations New Zealand was second only to England to compete in international competition.
History
A professional New Zealand team was touring England and Australia before it was even considered that there should be a professional league in New Zealand.The first makings of a New Zealand rugby football schism, such as seen in other countries was the creation of Albert Henry Baskerville
Albert Henry Baskerville
Albert Henry Baskerville was a Wellington postal clerk, a rugby union forward, author of the book "Modern Rugby Football: New Zealand Methods; Points for the Beginner, the Player, the Spectator" and a pioneer of rugby league.-Rugby football:Prior to becoming the administrator of the 1908 tour...
who set out to sign a group of professional rugby players to tour England. Baskerville's team of professional "All Golds", on their way to England, made a stop over in Australia, playing a 3 game series against a professional New South Wales rugby team. From there, they went on to England and for the first time, played by the Northern Union
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
's rules. On their return home, they stopped over in Australia to play another 10 games against clubs from the newly formed New South Wales Rugby League.
During the All Gold's tour, their founder, Baskerville fell ill and later died of pneumonia. 13 June 1908 saw the first game of rugby league played by the Northern Union's new rules on New Zealand soil; as a benefit match for Baskerville's widowed mother. The first match in New Zealand was played at Wellington on 13 June 1908 before a crowd of nearly 7,000, which saw an exhibition between two teams drawn from the touring side.
Rugby league had now its sights firmly set on New Zealand, however, the New Zealand Rugby Union's infiltration into every aspect of New Zealand society, government and business would prove a lot tougher than the unions of Australia or England. The NZRU took it upon themselves to pressure potential converts, officials, sponsors and ground owners into not giving the rugby league upstarts any room to move. The Wellington Rugby Union even went to the length of naming, under false pretenses, famous players in the team lineup for a match at Athletic Park
Athletic Park (Wellington)
Athletic Park was a well-known ground used mostly for rugby matches in Wellington, New Zealand. The ground was also the inaugural home of New Zealand's principal knockout football tournament, the Chatham Cup ....
in order to lure interest away from a Northern Union
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
match being played in Petone
Petone
Petone is a major suburb of the city of Lower Hutt in New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the narrow triangular plain of the Hutt River, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour...
on the same day.
None of this succeeded in stopping the establishment of the game and by 1910 it was being played in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, Taranaki, Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
, Nelson
Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
, Southland
Southland Region
Southland is New Zealand's southernmost region and is also a district within that region. It consists mainly of the southwestern portion of the South Island and Stewart Island / Rakiura...
, Wanganui
Wanganui
Whanganui , also spelled Wanganui, is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region....
, Marlborough
Marlborough, New Zealand
Marlborough is one of the regions of New Zealand, located in the northeast of the South Island. Marlborough is a unitary authority, both a region and a district, and its council is located at Blenheim. Marlborough is known for its dry climate, the picturesque Marlborough Sounds, and sauvignon blanc...
, Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
, Hawke's Bay
Hawke's Bay
Hawke's Bay is a region of New Zealand. Hawke's Bay is recognised on the world stage for its award-winning wines. The regional council sits in both the cities of Napier and Hastings.-Geography:...
, and South Auckland. The New Zealand Rugby League was formed in 1909 and other provinces joined the league.
In the year after that, Auckland Rugby League became the first to start a regular competition. The Auckland League had a full season in 1912, with its headquarters at Eden Park. That same year saw the formation of Wellington's local rugby league competition.
In 1913 Henry Thacker
Henry Thacker
Dr Henry Thomas Joynt Thacker was a doctor, New Zealand Member of Parliament and Mayor of Christchurch.-Early life:...
set up the Canterbury Rugby Football League, donating the Thacker Shield
Thacker Shield
The Thacker Shield is a rugby league football trophy awarded on an annual basis to the winner of a match between the champion clubs of the Canterbury Rugby League and West Coast Rugby League.-History:...
.
Rugby league made great advances since the Second World War. It was well established between 1918 and 1939, but many strong leagues went into recess between 1939 and 1945, never to revive, or to suffer severely from the loss of players. Rotorua, Otago, and Northland were examples. Those areas, strong provinces before the war, are only starting to make good progress.
Ironically, New Zealand founded the fully international rugby league, was responsible for strengthening English professional rugby and gave the rugby rebels of Australia a leg up, which resulted in the formation of the New South Wales Rugby League. However, they weren't able to replicate their overseas success to the same levels on home soil.
By the early 1990s New South Wales' club competition matches were being broadcast in New Zealand with far greater viewing numbers than that of domestic rugby union.
A New Zealand club team, the Auckland Warriors, was added to the top-level Australian Rugby League
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
competition in 1995
Australian Rugby League season 1995
The 1995 ARL premiership was the 88th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the first to be run by the Australian Rugby League. For the first time since 1988, the League expanded again, with the addition of four new clubs from North Queensland, Western Australia, South...
. Soon after when the Australian Super League war
Super League war
The Super League war is the common name given to the corporate dispute that was fought in and out of court during the mid-1990s between the Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation-backed Super League and the Kerry Packer and Optus Vision-backed Australian Rugby League organisations over broadcasting...
shook the game to its very foundations in that country, the New Zealand Rugby League
New Zealand Rugby League
The New Zealand Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. The NZRL was founded on the 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year....
, along with the governing body in Britain, aligned itself with Super League. The Warriors continued to participate in the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
competition after many expansion teams were cut and foundation teams merged. In 2001
National Rugby League season 2001
The 2001 NRL season was the 94th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the fourth run by the National Rugby League. The Newcastle Knights claimed their second premiership in five seasons, defeating minor premiers Parramatta Eels in the first ever night-time grand...
the club's name was changed to New Zealand Warriors.
In 2005, the New Zealand national side won the tri-nations
Rugby League Tri-Nations
The Rugby League Tri-Nations was a rugby league tournament involving the top three nations in the sport: Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand...
final, beating Australia 24-0. This was the first series defeat of Australia in 25 years.
The New Zealand national team won the Rugby League World Cup
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
for the first time in 2008.
In 2009, the much-mooted State of Origin
State of Origin
State of Origin is the name used in Australia for one existing sporting event which involves domestic representative teams. The term, when used in isolation, usually refers to rugby league football, and occassionally Australian Football matches, in which players are selected for the Australian...
-like concept called "Kiwi Roots", which would involve two domestic New Zealand representative teams playing each other, was announced to commence in 2010. but has yet to eventuate.
In 2010 a poll released by UMR Research showed that in Auckland, home of the Warriors
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...
, more people were interested in the NRL
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
premiership (33%) than rugby union's ITM Cup (26%).
Governing body and competitions
The New Zealand Rugby League is responsible for governing of rugby league in New Zealand. The Auckland Rugby LeagueAuckland Rugby League
The Auckland Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is responsible for rugby league in the region and was the owner of Carlaw Park, once the "spiritual home of rugby league in New Zealand".-History:The Auckland Rugby League was...
is a partner of the NZRL and is responsible for the governing the sport in the Auckland Region
Auckland Region
The Auckland Region was one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, named for the city of Auckland, the country's largest urban area. With one third of the nation's residents, it was by far the biggest population and economy of any region of New Zealand, but the second-smallest land area.On 1...
.
The premier competition organised by the governing body of rugby league in New Zealand is the National Provincial Competition
National Provincial Competition (rugby league)
The NZRL Bartercard Premiership was a six-team rugby league competition that ran in 2008 and 2009. It replaced the now-defunct Bartercard Cup competition as the highest level of rugby league in New Zealand. Matches have been broadcast on SKY Network Television and Māori Television. In 2009 the...
, formed in 2008. Significant former competitions included the Lion Red Cup
Lion Red Cup
The Lion Red Cup was a New Zealand domestic rugby league competition that ran from 1994-1996 sponsored by brewers Lion Nathan. It was created due to the increase in public awareness of domestic rugby league due to the Auckland Warriors being accepted into the Winfield Cup. The competition was a...
, run from 1994–96, and the Bartercard Cup
Bartercard Cup
The Bartercard Cup was the top level rugby league club competition in New Zealand from 2000 until 2007. For the entire life of the tournament it was sponsored by Bartercard. The cup was administered by the New Zealand Rugby League...
, run from 2000-07.
On a regional level, the sport is administered by fifteen districts,
six of which field representative teams in the National Provincial Competition:
- Auckland Rugby LeagueAuckland Rugby LeagueThe Auckland Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is responsible for rugby league in the region and was the owner of Carlaw Park, once the "spiritual home of rugby league in New Zealand".-History:The Auckland Rugby League was...
- Bay of Plenty Rugby LeagueBay of Plenty Rugby LeagueBay of Plenty Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of Rugby league in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand...
- Canterbury Rugby LeagueCanterbury Rugby LeagueCanterbury Rugby League is the regional body that administers rugby league in Canterbury, New Zealand. CRL manages local competitions from senior level down to age group competitions. Canterbury Rugby League also manages the Canterbury rugby league team which represents the region in New Zealand...
- Taranaki Rugby LeagueTaranaki Rugby LeagueTaranaki Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of Rugby league in the Taranaki region of New Zealand. The TRL are represented by the Taranaki rugby league team...
- Waikato Rugby LeagueWaikato Rugby LeagueWaikato Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of Rugby league in the Waikato region of New Zealand. The WRL are represented by the Waikato rugby league team...
- Wellington Rugby LeagueWellington Rugby LeagueWellington Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of Rugby league in the Greater Wellington region. It is responsible for the local competition of the same name, as well as its representative team, the Wellington rugby league team.- Local Senior Competition :The...
The nine who do not compete in the NPC are:
- Coastline Rugby League
- Gisborne Tairawhiti Rugby League
- Rugby League Hawke's Bay
- Manawatu Rugby League
- Northland Rugby League
- Otago Rugby League
- Southland Rugby League
- Tasman Rugby League
- West Coast Rugby League
New Zealand based teams also take part in Australian competitions New Zealand Warriors
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...
are the only non-Australian team in the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
and Auckland Vulcans
Auckland Vulcans
The Auckland Vulcans are an Auckland based rugby league club that participates in the New South Wales Cup. They are administered by the Rugby League Development Foundation. The team is selected from the Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial Competition and also uses Warriors squad members not...
participate in the New South Wales Cup.
National Rugby League Teams
The National Rugby LeagueNational Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
(NRL) is Australia's top level competition for the sport of rugby league.
The New Zealand Warriors
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...
are New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's only side in the National Rugby League. Wellington Orcas
Wellington Orcas
The Wellington rugby league team are a rugby league team that represents the Wellington Rugby League in New Zealand Rugby League competitions. They currently compete in the National Zonal Competition as the Wellington Orcas.-Early years:...
unsuccessfully bid for a National Rugby League license in 2006.
| Club | Location | Home Ground(s) | First season |
|---|---|---|---|
 New Zealand WarriorsNew Zealand Warriors The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia... |
Auckland Auckland The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world... |
Mt Smart Stadium Mt Smart Stadium Mt Smart Stadium, formerly Ericsson Stadium, is a stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the home ground of National Rugby League team, the New Zealand Warriors... |
1995 |
Ethnicity
Rugby league is the 7th most popular sport amongst Māori which equates to 10% of Māori having played the sport over a 12 month period. In comparison, 7% of 'other ethnicities' play the sport, placing rugby league as the 11th most played sport among people of other ethnicities.The National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
, in recent years has become a hotbed of talent for up and coming New Zealand players. Most of these players are of Māori or other Pacific Islander origin, a number of Māori also play in the European Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
.
There may be many reasons why rugby league is more popular among those of Pacific Islander origin. Size is an important aspect in rugby league which emphasizes heavy body contact and Pacific Islanders are on average significantly larger than caucasian New Zealanders, Asian New Zealanders and Maori New Zealanders. The game is also seen as a means of defending and maintaining Polynesian cultural identities against a white establishment.
Another theory is that Auckland has more Māori and Pacific Islanders than other parts of New Zealand and Auckland is the centre of rugby league in New Zealand.
Young people
The young of AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, Manukau
Manukau
Manukau City was a large territorial authority in Auckland, New Zealand. The city was sometimes referred to as South Auckland, but this term did not possess official recognition and did not encompass areas like East Auckland, which was previously within the official boundaries of Manukau City...
, Greater Auckland, North Harbour
North Harbour, New Zealand
North Harbour is the name of a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located 12 kilometres north of the city centre, to the south of the suburb of Albany, close to the northern edge of the city....
and Waitakere
Waitakere
Waitakere City was the name of a city which existed from 1989 until 2010 in the Auckland region. It was New Zealand's fifth largest city, with an annual growth of about 2%...
participate in rugby league more so then any other area of New Zealand. This is not surprising, as Auckland is New Zealand rugby league's founding city. In any 2 week period, 3% of young people in Auckland will play rugby league; 50% greater than the next largest participants of rugby league, Waikato
Waikato
The Waikato Region is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupo District, and parts of Rotorua District...
and the Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...
, not too far from Auckland.
Heading further south, the likelihood of finding those who participate in rugby league decrease the further south one goes. The next largest regions to play rugby league are those of the southern and western areas of the northern island; Northland, Taranaki, Wanganui
Wanganui
Whanganui , also spelled Wanganui, is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region....
and Manawatu, Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
and the central east and western parts of the south island: Canterbury
Canterbury, New Zealand
The New Zealand region of Canterbury is mainly composed of the Canterbury Plains and the surrounding mountains. Its main city, Christchurch, hosts the main office of the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury Regional Council - called Environment Canterbury - and the University of Canterbury.-...
and Westland
West Coast, New Zealand
The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island, and is one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country. It is made up of three districts: Buller, Grey and Westland...
. These areas share a decrease in participation by 50% in comparison to Waikato and the Bay of Plenty or by 66% in comparison to Auckland.
Perhaps the most interesting thing to have come from these statistics is that rugby league appears to be less popular in the Hawke's Bay
Hawke's Bay
Hawke's Bay is a region of New Zealand. Hawke's Bay is recognised on the world stage for its award-winning wines. The regional council sits in both the cities of Napier and Hastings.-Geography:...
& Eastland regions of the northern island then some areas of the southern island. This goes against the general perception that rugby league is a strong sport in this region of New Zealand. The Hawke's Bay region has a participation rate of: nil, less than 1% or just not worth recording; much like the areas of the New Zealand, not yet mentioned: Otago
Otago
Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...
, Southland
Southland Region
Southland is New Zealand's southernmost region and is also a district within that region. It consists mainly of the southwestern portion of the South Island and Stewart Island / Rakiura...
, Tasman
Tasman, New Zealand
The Tasman Region is both a region and a district of New Zealand. It borders with the West Coast Region, Marlborough Region and the Nelson Region. It is both a region and a unitary authority, and the District Council sits at Richmond, with Community Boards serving outlying communities in Motueka...
and Northland; Northland also being on the North Island.
Adults
Participation among adults is more spread out, although methods for gathering adult participation and youth participation vary widely. One should realise this when drawing conclusions from what follows.Nearly every region in New Zealand participates in rugby league to some extent; again the general perception of the north being the strongest regions for rugby league are echoed in adult participation figures. The Hawks Bay and Eastland region represents an area where massive differences are seen in terms of rugby league participation. Going by participation rates alone for juniors, this region could be perceived as a rugby league waste land; for adults, the picture couldn't be much different; in any 4 weeks, 3% of its adults population will participate in rugby league; equal to the participation rate of Auckland.
Another interesting difference between adults and youth participation is the proximity between rugby league and rugby union participation. In each case, rugby union is the more popular code, but rugby league in many cases throughout the Auckland region is almost on par with rugby union . This is out of line with the junior and youth participation, where rugby union far outnumbers league.
Taking New Zealand as a whole, rugby league does not rate among the top 15 sports in New Zealand among male adults. In comparison, rugby union is the 5th most popular sport in New Zealand for men, behind other team sports such as touch rugby and cricket. However, the 18-24 year age bracket suggests rugby league is the 13th most played sport by adults (male and female); the same segregation rates rugby union as 7th most popular sport.
So whilst rugby league is not the most popular sport in New Zealand, there are regions and people that share significant interest in it. One should also note, that this section talks only about participation. Various sports may suffer from participation for various reasons, such as, issues specific to demographics discussed or risk of injury. Risk of injury is a major topic when looking at participation for rugby league. For more information on the impact of risk of injury in rugby league, refer to the age section of Rugby league in Australia
Rugby league in Australia
Rugby league football is one of the most popular sports in Australia. It is the dominant winter sport on the eastern seaboard of Australia, including the states of New South Wales and Queensland as well as the Australian Capital Territory, which together comprise around half of the country's...
article.
The national team
The New Zealand national rugby league side represent New Zealand at rugby league, and are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name. They are administered by the New Zealand Rugby LeagueNew Zealand Rugby League
The New Zealand Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. The NZRL was founded on the 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year....
. On 22 October 2008, The Kiwis defeated Australia
Australian national rugby league team
The Australian national rugby league team have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competition since the establishment of the game in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian Rugby League, the Kangaroos' are ranked number one in the RLIF World Rankings...
to win their first Rugby League World Cup
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
and will hold the title of World Champions until at least the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.
External links
- History of rugby league in New Zealand From the 1966 An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand,
- New Zealand rugby league from rlwc2000
- Sports profiles NZ
- Statistical facts NZ, 97/01
- Participation in Sport
- Antipathy of the New Zealand Rugby Union