Why is rugby so popular in NZ?

Answer 1

I'm writing this as a Rugby-loving South African. I believe my reasoning is correct because we South Africans are in a similar position to NZ regarding popularity of rugby. NZ is a relatively small country, and thus do not have the resources (financial but especially people) to support many sports at world class level. Thus, they focus their efforts on a sport that they have played very successfully for a long time. You begin to get a 'virtuous circle' effect that as the teams perform better, the sport becomes more popular, more people and sponsors get involved in the sport, facilities train people from a younger age, causing teams to advance even further, resulting in the sport becoming ever more popular. Because of their success at the sport, the country's culture has becomes somewhat tied in with the sport.