Covid headaches: New Zealand Rugby reveals ambitious plans for All Blacks tests in 2020
New Zealand Rugby is confident the All Blacks could play “eight or nine” tests this year, despite the Covid-19 pandemic that has halted short-term plans for the sport.
In a wide-ranging interview on Sky Sport’s The Breakdown, NZ Rugby head of professional rugby Chris Lendrum outlined the many contingency plans the governing body have in place over the future of All Blacks matches, Super Rugby and the sustainability of the game amid the current rugby recession.
When it comes to NZ Rugby’s biggest and most important brand, Lendrum is hopeful there will be plenty of international rugby this year, even in the face of a resurgence of the virus in Auckland which has already caused several cancellations on the sport’s calendar.
“We’re obviously really focused on this year,” he said. “We’ve been pretty open on our desire to get the Wallabies and All Blacks playing during the course of this year – three to four tests potentially; maybe some in Australia and maybe some here or maybe all here.
“And then there’s the work that’s going into the Investec Rugby Championship. I think everyone knows that SANZAAR have invited New Zealand Rugby to host that tournament here. We’re obviously the country amongst those four partners that to date has fared the best through the Covid pandemic.
“So we’re working with the Government at the moment to try to see whether it’s possible to host those three teams in, under what conditions they need to come in, how they might have to quarantine or isolate before they can train as a group and then as a team, and then obviously have to talk to the teams themselves and the players about whether they are happy with all of those conditions that will be around.”
Lendrum says NZ Rugby is still confident the All Blacks will be able to play up to nine games this year, an ambitious target but one that would be invaluable for the organisation. (For comparison, the All Blacks played nine tests in the lead up to last year’s Rugby World Cup in the pre-Covid environment.)
“There’s a huge amount to work through but we remain really positive sitting here today that we could still have eight or nine All Blacks matches in 2020.”
NZ Rugby hopes to get more guidance from the Government about staging All Blacks tests in “the next couple of weeks”.
Meanwhile, the re-emergence of coronavirus cases in the Auckland community and the resulting restrictions in the city and the rest of the country have already forced the cancellation of the sold-out Super Rugby Aotearoa finale between the Crusaders and the Blues at Eden Park, while the first two rounds of the Farah Palmer Cup was also called off.
Lendrum says NZ Rugby have multiple contingency plans on the go around competitions going forward, especially for the future of the Super Rugby competition.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEDLM4RAlhA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
“We’ve learnt that we’ve got a really viable five-team competition if that’s what we need to do next year. We’ve just come off the back of an absolutely outstanding ten-week competition.
“We know that competition has generated so much good rugby and it’s viable. It’s not our preference – we would ideally like to play a broader transt-Tasman competition – but we just don’t know whether we’ll have the ability to do that.
“At New Zealand Rugby, what we’re trying to do is carry both of those things at the same time and try and plan on a number of fronts. And hopefully time will provide us with a bit more certainty to what option we’ll take.”
Aside from the administrative headaches caused by the pandemic around competitions, NZ Rugby also have plenty of things to work through with players and stakeholders, with negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement with the New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association set to take place this year.
Lendrum was once again “really confident” that NZ Rugby and all parties involved will be able to work together and agree on the best way to move forward.
“I think what we’ve seen this year is that in crisis, it’s brought everybody together,” he said. “The barriers that used to exist within different parties in the rugby community – at least on the professional side – have come down and everyone has been prepared to work together to get a competition up and running, to create more content for our commercial partners, to do things that we haven’t done before.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEDDOQWgeZv/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
“Even innovations to rules during this last competition just happen so easily with so much buy in from everybody … Everybody gets it.”
Ultimately, NZ Rugby have plenty of work to do but remain hopeful of creating a more sustainable future for the sport.
“We’re really motivated to make sure that 2021 is a stepping stone to whatever comes beyond in 2022.
“You can’t just create a team for example, wish a team up and then wish it away a year later because it doesn’t work or it’s not consistent with where you’re going. It’s not fair to the people involved, it’s not fair to our fans or anybody.
“Certainly we’re on a bit of a journey and Covid is going to restrict that journey potentially in 2021 and keep our sights shorter than we might otherwise would like it, but that’s the hand that we’ve all being dealt with in the world and it’s not just rugby suffering from that.
“But again I remain really confident in our ability to progress positively.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Yawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
22 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
77 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
44 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to comments