The International Rugby Board - A good institution?

[nico.hellmann]

Hello everybody,

I'm a German student at the University of Otago in New Zealand and to be honest I have no idea about rugby. I followed the Championship in France last year and was quite impressed about the passion and ambition behind the game. Anyway, I'm facing an analysis of the IRB, therefore I need more information that I hope to collect with your help!
I would be interested in your opinion about the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the International Rugby Board?
So fare I found some information that their is some kind of dependence with News Corp and their TV-rights, that their is only one real international brand "The All Blacks" and that the introduction of the super7 was actually a good idea, or wasn't it? Why are there less and less supporters and volunteers? What could the IRB do to change that situation?

I appreciate any help, any strength, weaknesses, opportunities or threats that you can think about on a national or international level, where ever the IRB is or could be involved.

Thanks in advance for your help.

nico

 

[BLR]

Welcome to the website, Otago is a brilliant place if you can keep yourself occupied...

IRB=Thier 'strength' is more of an opportunity factor, rugby around the world is steadily growing, thier weakness is that sometimes they don't go to embrace these developing markets ie. the somewhat contraversal awarding of the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. But they aren't really centralised as a power, the individual unions usually do what they want, they act sort of like the UN...but of course get heaps of money form thier World Cup events...

The Super series(now Super 14) and Tri nations only really exists because of the tv deals, and there is speculation when the current one ends in a few years the South Africans may leave to join Europe in a tournament and/or Argentina will join the Super 14 and Tri nations.

There are less supporters in NZ because of the saturation of the market and the loss of the AB's in the last world cup, I think thier hearts are still broken yet the pre-eminence of rugby over the market never lets it go away, they will come back though...they always do...as for Otago in particular last time I was there I was told 'why go to the game when I can watch in on Sky in the warmth of my home', so perhaps people are just lazy too...

Australia is only thriving really in Perth because the Aussie franchises aren't going very good and other sports are winning over the fans because of general PR mismanagement and bad specticals during the last few years....South Africa and the NH the game is thriving, so the IRB won't matter too much about that.

The main thing IRB need to fix is to make an international calendar like there is in football which will open up European based Argentinians/Pacific Islanders and the like to play internationals against SH teams when they have thier international period...

I suggest going to Carisbrook next game with all the scarfies to experience the game itself....in the end the game has only been professional for 13 years and is still essentially about the players and not about all the sporting bodies.

 

[sambãd5]

problems with the irb, is that they are represented in a pannel of countries. this leads to almost bribing come rwc's, such as games in cardiff to help the french get the wc.

opportunities is growth in the us. american colleges are starting to play rugby, and there is new financial intrests there too. along with groth in asia and south america. the start of gaming franchies such as the ea series, and breif competition with zzr and rugby callenge 2 by swordfish.

threats such as the growth of soccer in nz, australia and south africa. yellow fever in wellington and the rest of the a-league in oz is extremely poplular and is a real threat to rugby in the strongholds of the sport. with the wc of soccer in south africa too.

i dont know weither its a opportunity or threat with the island situation atm. they need major funding to get them to a 1st class standard, but theres not a market for them, bar maybie samoa being the largest nation (or at least influence in nz)


wish i could be more help, but its midnight, ive just finnished work and my uni days are over. i remember doing these stupid charts haha..

your lucky you dont have to do haora!!

 

[nico.hellmann]

Thanks guys!!!
Nico