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Received from Alex Brown
Wed, 1 June 2016 at 7:35 pm
It may be time for us to face the fact that we’re no longer who we think we are.
### Stuff.co.nz Last updated 05:00, May 31 2016
Cas Carter: If rugby’s just a sport, is NZ’s national identity at stake?
By Cas Carter
OPINION Our image as a hard core rugby loving nation is under threat. Last week rugby bosses launched a rescue strategy to revive the sport which is no longer number one in Auckland. Only 3 per cent there now play our national game and there are fears this trend could spread across the country. It’s been on the cards for a while. Increasing ethnic diversity in Auckland, concern over injury and a rising number of sporting options are all at play. But this isn’t just an issue for rugby. Our national identity is at stake.
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
The only Rugby extant in this nation is Heartland, not professional. A game at Balfour, a match in Grey. Rugby is egalitarian, it was once a socially cohesive phenomenon.
NZ is multicultural, we can’t tie our national identity to one Code. Certain concussed gentlemen in ‘Super Sport Hits of The Week’ are not role models. You’d think at least the Basque would emigrate here and introduce Jai Alai.