After last week asking why rugby union appears to be falling behind the NRL, Scotty Stevenson talks to The Chiefs CEO Simon Graafhuis about the state of the game and future plans.
Super Rugby’s on field action has at times been sublime this season, and there is certainly a feeling that the gap between the Australian and New Zealand sides is closing. Whether that’s an improvement across the ditch or a decline in standards here is for another day.
What we are seeing week in, week out, though, are good games of rugby. Last week I wondered why it is then that there appears to be a lack of connection between the competition and the fanbase. I compared Super Rugby with the NRL, the super clubs with the Warriors. The Chiefs were keen to chat about that, and I was keen to chat with them.
Simon Graafhuis is a Chiefs man. He loves the club, loves game day and has huge ambitions for the team and the sport. Those ambitions are singular, but as he points out, Super Rugby historically has been at the mercy of SANZAR’s internal bickering and remains a competition run by two unions, Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby. Fortunately, he believes the relationship between the two bodies is on the improve.
“The relationship with Australia is definitely better now and we are all hopeful of even more progress under the new commission.”
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That commission, chaired by respected director Kevin Malloy, is soon to announce a first ever chief executive, a position that according to high level sources, attracted hundreds of applicants. It will be fascinating to see how the commission can operate with autonomy given Super Rugby’s position within the high-performance structures of the Wallabies and the All Blacks, New Zealand and Australia’s key commercial assets.
“We have to be high-performance but that shouldn’t prevent us being fancentric too. This is where we can make significant change,” Graafhuis said.
It’s the fan part that interested me. Does the competition do enough to attract fans, keep them and reward them? I offer an example of the competition’s official website. How is it, I ask, that this competition is at its halfway point, but on the match page for the Chiefs round eight clash with the Hurricanes, 12 of the 23 Chiefs players did not have a photo on the line up. Nor did any of the players have their first names listed?
“That’s exactly why we need a good commission and a good chief executive because all of us need access to player data and if we were smart we would have virtual games, fantasy leagues, player analysis and all the bells and whistles," Graafhuis said.
“The player mic stuff is tough to get across the line. But we feel like we’re a long way behind and we have to keep innovating. We’ve never been fast followers in rugby.”
It may seem a trivial detail but rugby has never been great at analytics. Fans now expect a level of data to support their passion for the sport. Rugby at a performance level is analysis heavy, but the fans get scant information and rely on decades old, top level measurements that don’t advance their understanding beyond select and at times irrelevant metrics.
“The absence of us fronting up to explain a lot of the issues around selection or rest periods or managed workloads doesn’t help either,” said Graafhuis.
“There are many things we haven’t done right, but in that there is so much opportunity.”
The Chiefs certainly have a strong following. Club membership sits at approximately 4200 and home games this year have averaged crowds of 14,000. Graafhuis wants the membership number to climb to 10,000 but is quick to point out that the game day experience is still one of the best in the sport.
“We want all our staff to attend games from a fan perspective so they understand that experience intimately. We are always working on that and looking to make improvements. We are looking to add more ranges to our merchandise, create bigger family fun zones, host themed rounds. Our drone show was the first of its kind in New Zealand and when we have 14,000 or 15,000 fans in the stadium it certainly creates a special atmosphere.”
The key attribute for the Chiefs is the connection to the region. That work was accelerated under former coach Dave Rennie who led the side to back to back titles. The “Chiefs Mana” theme was embraced by the fans and continues to be a pillar of the side’s image today. “Chiefs Mana” may not be as ubiquitous as “Up the Wahs” but it feels equally organic.
On the Warriors, Graafhuis said: “The Warriors have done a good job of captivating their fans and you only have to experience a match to see that. I think our fans are probably the closest to the Warriors fans we have in rugby. The Warriors had a good fanbase and they are now benefiting from sustained results and those results are attracting new fans too.”
It is obvious that there is a regional passion for the Chiefs, but the club is also looking at ways to connect with fans who can’t get to matches, or who live offshore. Thinking digitally is going to underpin that work, but there is also an awareness that broadcast numbers on free-to-air matches are also a discussion point.
“The viewership numbers on the Open games are not insignificant so that’s something to think about too.”
Graafhuis has also hinted at an upcoming documentary the club will produce to give fans a genuine look inside the workings of the club, connecting them with fans in a way that other sports and other teams have done. If done well, these productions can be incredibly powerful.
There is optimism around the impact the Chiefs Manawa have made for the club, and Graafhuis says junior rugby remains strong in the region and that fanbase has to be protected. What also has to be protected are the players, and retention and contracting are other issues that will require a fresh approach.
”We’re going to have to rethink how the contracting system works. We lose so many front rowers, for instance, to the northern hemisphere to become stars in different competitions. We haven’t got the most money so there is always going to be competition from Japan and France among others.
“I think there is a place to be a more open market and to liberalise the laws around that. The balance is in how you do that without blocking the talent coming through as well. How do you back the young ones and bring in the experience? "
And how do you keep backing the team and building the fanbase?
“A great game of rugby is a fantastic experience. We will keep making sure that experience keeps improving. But a Chiefs home game, now that’s a great night out.”
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