Ireland v All Blacks
Kick-off: 9:10am Sunday 2 November
Soldier Field, Chicago
Live coverage on RNZ
Analysis: While most minds are firmly fixed on next weekend's Chicago rematch between the All Blacks and Ireland, there's a very interesting game about to happen off the field as well. This stands as NZ Rugby (NZR)'s time to make a point to World Rugby, with an eye on the 2031 World Cup, and they're bringing out the big guns to do it.
It comes off the back of one prominent group of Americans pulling out their wallets. Global insurance giant Gallagher, which is headquartered in Chicago, came on board as a main commercial partner this year and did so under quite dramatic circumstances. Gallagher, along with Toyota, replaced INEOS after the petrochemical company failed to pay its sponsorship instalment and was threatened with legal action by NZR.
All Blacks v Ireland, Soldier Field. Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz
The swift resolution and addition of Gallagher was about as big a win for NZR off the field as a World Cup would be on it, because it means that they've now increased their sponsorship intake to over $130 million annually. For context: that's over twice as much as than the next highest test nation.
"It's just one of those things where you kind of know that this is something that should happen... The discussions probably lasted a week or two," said Gallagher Chief Marketing Officer and Chicago native Chris Mead at a public signing session the All Blacks did at the city's Pioneer Square. It's an impressive setting, surrounded by skyscrapers old and new that do their best to block out the sun and keep the autumn temperature cool. One of them is the admittedly very impressive Trump Tower, which we're told has a fantastic rooftop bar - but no one goes there anymore.
"It was just something we knew that should happen. We were very, very excited to get it done, I jumped on a plane right away and flew down to New Zealand for two days and we announced it. It was a proud moment."
Mead sought the help of one of his employees.
"The All Blacks have been a great team for a long time. (They're) consistent all the time, they assess and reassess and make sure they're better," said Nathan Hines, who would know better than most. The Gallagher spokesman played 77 times for Scotland, including three losses to the All Blacks.
"It will be a contributing factor in making the World Cup great as well. They'll improve and develop the game and make sure fans know."
None of this is new though, with the All Blacks having a successful visit stateside last year when they played Fiji in front of a full Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. It hasn't always gone according to plan - the 2021 fixture against the US national team in Washington DC was a blowout in every sense of the word, being played in a substandard venue that hadn't even bothered to remove the American Football markings off the field.
Scott Barrett scores a try at Soldier Field in Chicago. Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz
Admittedly, a lot of the issues with that one had to do with the fact that the world was still under pandemic restrictions, what's probably less well known is that it precluded the All Blacks from doing any precious commercial activities in their time there.
That was then, this is now. Despite the fact that the All Blacks are going through a tumultuous decade so far, which has seen them record historic losses and come within a kick of winning the World Cup, they are more valuable than ever.
Despite an operational loss of $19.5 million, earlier this year NZR chairman David Kirk was able to report "a new high watermark of $285m income, healthy commercial revenue streams in what is a difficult international operating environment."
That is backed by one significant fact: for the third time the All Blacks have visited 63,000-seat Soldier Field, they've sold it out. Even when you take into account the fact that roughly half of that crowd are expected to be travelling Irish fans who are hoping for a repeat of their famous 2016 victory, that's still no small feat. We're currently in the middle of baseball's World Series and deep into the NFL season, and this week, the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks play twice at home. So this relatively obscure sport pulling that number of locals, like the All Blacks did last year in San Diego, is exactly what NZR want the sport's global governing body to recognise.
Soldier Field, Chicago. Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz
Especially since World Rugby are taking the World Cup to the US in 2031, a decision that was under serious consideration of being reversed as recently as last year due to concerns over costs.
With that in mind, outgoing NZR CEO Mark Robinson said that it was "critical to maximise the remaining time with a major coordinated drive to ensure that the US growth strategy succeeds, including staging more fixtures in the US," clearly with an eye on turning a potential crisis into an advantage, as well as the all-important gate-sharing revenue deal on fixtures like this.
So, that's why this game is so big for the All Blacks and NZR. If this World Cup is going to work, especially since the last one was in a traditional rugby market and still lost the host nation around $57 million, World Rugby will need to lean heavily on the All Blacks as rugby's biggest existing brand presence in the US.
That in turn means the NZR can start to make some demands of their own, specifically around scheduling, governance and the general direction World Rugby is taking.
One direct benefit to the current playing group is that the new sponsor is very hands on with their brand ambassadors, with Mead joking that Beauden Barrett has become his newest friend on WhatsApp.
"Maybe it has to do with my access to certain golf clubs… I think that's what's fun about having them come here," said Mead.
Beauden Barrett at the New Zealand Golf Open, Millbrook Resort. Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz
And while that was slightly tongue in cheek, the reality of what this American money can do ties in quite nicely with Ardie Savea's sentiments about athlete branding opportunities. This literally is the land of opportunity, after all.
But you definitely have to work for that opportunity, something the All Blacks will learn this week as their commercial commitments ramp up. Gallagher isn't the only company expecting face time with the team before the test match, as well as a multitude of spots with local media that will presumably involve a lot of very base level 'football without helmets' chat. 800 fans showed up at the event at Pioneer Square, all wanting pictures and handshakes.
That's the game, though. If the All Blacks are to fulfil what NZR want them to this week, it'll involve more than just a revenge win over Ireland. The ultimate goal of what the American market can do for the sport is what's at stake.
