The NRL would be crazy not to turn to Christchurch for the 20th team, and the match against the Warriors and the Cowboys showed why.
OneNZ Stadium in Christchurch hosted its first NRL game on Sunday, and it quickly captured the attention of not just New Zelanders but Australians.
The stadium looked an absolute treat, with a permanent roof letting in plenty of light as Kiwi fans packed into modern grandstands, making themselves heard.
And James Maloney says there should be no question that the South Island becomes the NRL’s 20th franchise, declaring it’s a “no-brainer”.
“There are no better fans in the game than the Warriors and you keep hearing that rugby league is making inroads,” Maloney said on news.com.au’s Extended Bench.
“If you get a side in Christchurch people will jump on board. They support New Zealand now because that’s the only team they got.
“But you’d see so many of them convert and go ‘This is our team now’. I think it makes sense, the game is doing really well there. You’d be crazy not to (put a side there).”
The dual premiership winner also believes it is the perfect opportunity to tap into the north v south island rivalry.
“I know the north v south gets spoke about with rugby union and no doubt about it with a Christchurch team it would develop,” Maloney continued.
“There would be a rivalry and north and south is a big thing in rugby union. They talk about if they’re north or south and there’s that natural competitiveness.
“I think it will work and it’s a no-brainer (to have a South Island team).”
Adding to the allure is the atmosphere created by New Zealand fans and it was something clear for all to see whether they were at the ground or watching at home.
“It truly is a wall of sound. Add the acoustics of an indoor ground with a sold-out crowd and the rowdiness of one of the most loyal fan bases in the NRL, it’s the perfect cocktail for an incredible atmosphere here in Christchurch,” sideline reporter Niko Pajarillo said on Fox Sports.
From hours before the game, the city was abuzz with more than 20,000 people marching through the streets as part of a pre-match hīkoi, beginning at the local market district and finishing at the new stadium.
Everyone in attendance and those watching on were left gobsmacked.
Kayo Sports commentator Dan Ginnane said: “That scene in Christchurch was astonishing.”
Michael Ennis said, “At a time when the game is looking at expansion, gee, didn’t Christchurch look good today?”
“The star of the show was the new stadium in Christchurch,” Matty Johns said on his Sunday Night show on Kayo Sports.
“It is unbelievable, insane. The Warriors lived up to it; they were fantastic.”
The atmosphere has reignited the big question on rugby league fans’ lips for years. Does the South Island deserve its own NRL team?
If your answer to that is no, I would beg to question your motives.
League has long lived in the shadow of rugby union in much of New Zealand, but the Warriors have built a massive following to a point where south of the Cook Strait, the NRL is seriously rivalling rugby union.
And now with a world-class stadium, a growing appetite for more in New Zealand and the need for a 20th team, if for nothing else but a broadcast deal, a South Island team is truly a no-brainer.
The NRL also loves nothing more than rivalries, and I can tell you the North v South Island rivalry in New Zealand is akin to that of NSW and Queensland.
A team in the south will have growing pains, given that many in the region already follow the Warriors, but down the line, it will create as fierce a rivalry as any in the game we have today.
The NRL also won’t get any broadcast benefit from 19 teams but will from 20, given it’s an extra match each week.
That’s extra ammunition for a monster new broadcast deal that will see the salary cap for each team grow, along with the game in general.
And the appetite in Christchurch is there and it is something the NRL is well aware of, with Christchurch hosting the only two rugby league World Cup games in New Zealand at the end of this season.
Christchurch will host a Rugby League World Cup double header in October with the Kiwi Ferns facing France before the Kiwis clash with the Cook Islands.
Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo also made the trip across the ditch for the Warriors’ game in Christchurch to suss out not only the new ground but how practical another team in New Zealand is.
They both are shrewd businessmen, so it would be staggering if they went another direction.
So instead of if they get a team, it’s more a question of how it will work.
That is because there are three consortiums that have signalled their interest in bidding for the 20th licence, all of whom want to base themselves in Christchurch.
The Southern Orcas launched an audacious bid in late 2024 with an overall value of $360 million.
The bid is headed by Sir Graham Lowe, who recently told the media that the franchise would be ready to be up and running within two years.
The South Island Kea has also put their hands up.
Headed by former NRL chief executive David Moffett, they initially hoped to beat Perth to the 18th team licence but have now turned their attention to becoming the 20th NRL franchise.
The third hopeful syndicate is led by former Warriors and Kiwis coach Frank Endacott.
The other contender for the 20th license is a fifth Queensland team (such as the Brisbane Jets).
However, given that the Dolphins were the most recent NRL franchise to enter the competition and the likelihood that it would harm the likes of the Broncos’ pathway system, it doesn’t appear to be a logical solution.
It is a sentiment that has been echoed by many in the rugby league space in recent days.
“I think there’s enough in the southeast corner now of Queensland. We’ve got two or three teams in that southeast corner, and we’ve got the Cowboys up north,” Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters said.
“I feel like rugby league in New Zealand now has just grown so much that probably a second team is due and ready to go.”
While Gordon Tallis, who travelled to Christchurch for the first time on the weekend, also believes it is better equipped to be the 20th team.
“Rugby league’s bigger here than it’s ever been,” Tallis told the NZ Herald.
“I don’t think that would’ve happened probably 20 years ago.”
Even Warriors chief executive Cameron George is coming around to the idea of a South Island team.
“I’ve never said no to a second team in New Zealand. What I know is that right now the domestic structure of rugby league in this country needs some significant investment,” George told Newstalk ZB’s John MacDonald on the weekend.
“My challenge is to the NRL. It’s not to say no to a second NRL team, it’s to say let’s put a 3–5-year investment strategy into New Zealand and build these [domestic] competitions to the point where all these players want to stay at home and play in them, rather than go to Australia and never come back. That will underpin a second team.”
The NRL is unlikely to rush into any decision, given that they still need to focus on Perth and PNG entering the premier rugby league competition.
But at this point, it would be a shock if the 20th team isn’t from the South Island.