Opinion: Bring back the Hurricanes

Ian Snook

It’s time for a game. Only three Super Rugby matches in 10 seasons at Stadium Taranaki suggests Taranaki is being exploited.

It’s certainly no fun being one of the poor cousins in the Chiefs rugby franchise.

There were a couple of boom seasons in 2014 and 2015 following the province changing allegiances from the Hurricanes, where four games were played, all with mainly healthy attendances up to 13,000.

But since then, the Chiefs bus has only managed to find its way to New Plymouth on three occasions.

The stadium was partly closed as an earthquake risk in 2017 and fully closed in 2018, but surely it now deserves an outing. The all-weather playing surface, and the $50 million development, including an on-site gym, is calling out for players and the public to use and enjoy it.

Bring back the Hurricanes and Taranaki will provide a crowd of 20,000. The people deserve to see the best players in the flesh. This is a ‘rugby’ province after all.

The problem is an obvious one – paying customers. Taranaki need more.

The five Super rugby franchises are all leaking money and running at losses, huge in some cases, and they need as many payers as possible through the gate to help meet their financial outgoings.

Historically Taranaki was part of the Hurricanes, a franchise very much dominated by Wellington and Wellingtonians.

In the 18 seasons of Taranaki membership, there were 11 games at Yarrow Stadium, only three being against other NZ franchises, with an attendance of 15,647 against the Highlanders in 2003 being a biggie for New Plymouth.

When it was time for NZR to reduce their financial risk and for the franchises to fund 50% themselves, the deal the Hurricanes offered Taranaki and the other bigger unions Hawkes Bay and Manawatu, was so heavily weighted in favour of Wellington, that the other unions would not sign.

It was at that time the chairmen of Taranaki and the Chiefs, Lindsay Thomson and Dallas Fisher, got talking, and the outcome was Taranaki joining the Chiefs.

Taranaki are an 11.5% shareholder along with Waikato, Counties and Bay of Plenty, with King Country and Thames Valley being smaller shareholders.

It was a dream beginning as previously mentioned, but the same old problem soon arose. The lack of paying spectators. Hence, in the past 10 seasons only three games have been allocated to Taranaki.

Of course, the players prefer staying at home and sleeping in their own beds and the heavyweights prefer to drive to FMG Stadium in Hamilton rather than the annoying three hours to New Plymouth.

Consequently, since Taranaki joined the Chiefs there have been 76 games played in Hamilton, seven in New Plymouth, with four in the first two seasons as part of the sign-on package, and another four games outside Hamilton.

It looks like Taranaki should consider themselves lucky as compared with Bay of Plenty and Counties.

In Taranaki’s seven games, Yarrow Stadium hit a low of 8,500 in 2016 against the Sharks, which was a bit surprising with the Sharks ending in third place and providing plenty of Springboks.

But crowds were between 11,000 and 13,000 for the remaining six fixtures.

This season, FMG Stadium in Hamilton had 25,000 at the Hurricanes game (according to Wikipedia), 18,000 at the Crusaders and 13,000 at the Highlanders clash.

There were less at the Waratahs and Pasifika, 11,400 and 9000.

There is little doubt Taranaki could provide at least 13,000 for any super game right now, as we are so desperately starved of a big game; but if it was the Hurricanes, that could be huge.

These days just about every kid running around with a Super Rugby jersey on will be in Chiefs colours.

But there will still be sufficient oldies who remember Conrad Smith, Brendan Haami, Jason Eaton, and the likes, who will get along to Taranaki Stadium to watch Jordie Barrett and Du Plessis Kirifi strut their stuff against a whole host of Taranaki-ites, including the born and bred Reuben O’Neill, Kaylum Boshier, and Daniel Rona.

It’s time to act. So, what needs to be done.

Firstly, Taranaki needs a voice. They need a member on the Chiefs board. It’s crazy that in 13 seasons there has been no person representing this province’s perspectives.

If it is too far to drive for meetings, it’s little wonder the Chiefs board thinks Taranaki is too far away to take a game.

It is time to plan for a 2027 game.

The TRFU needs to guarantee a 15,000 crowd and then set about a plan that will excite the province. This will be Taranaki’s test match.

On game day, there needs to be more than a pathetic race against the Colonel at halftime. This must interest about six people.

There should be music the crowd can sing along to before the game and at halftime. Maybe the Bald Eagles – every rugby person knows Bruce Sutton.

Curtain raisers with local interest and half price sales for Chiefs and Hurricanes kit inside the stadium would go down well.

The non-playing Chiefs could be out and about signing autographs.

During the week, some Taranaki Chiefs could provide a bit of radio banter with Phil Quinney.

The All Black chiefs would be huge in schools. There needs to be Chiefs posters handed out at schools and at the game.

The Chiefs coaches would go down a treat if they conducted a session for local coaches and parents.

Shops could display their loyalties to either the Chiefs or the Hurricanes.

The province needs to be flooded with ‘Chiefness’.

If they can’t do it, maybe the Hurricanes can.

I can still remember being driven from Stratford to Hawera to listen to a few of the 1965 Springboks, who were talking at Hawera High School. They made the effort to travel to Hawera from New Plymouth. How good was that. I reckon today’s players are born for it.

It’s time for Taranaki to go above and beyond – make a plan and demand a game.

Ian Snook is a former Central Districts and Taranaki cricket captain, representative rugby player, coach, administrator and longtime sports columnist.