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'Send the bill to Altrad': How New Zealand Rugby can navigate Mohed Altrad's sentencing
The future of All Blacks‘ multi-million dollar partnership with Altrad is uncertain after the company’s owner, Mohed Altrad, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for bribery and corruption. Former New Zealand Rugby CEO David Moffet has urged his former business to proceed with caution and expert consultation.
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Moffet was Chief Executive of New Zealand Rugby (NZR) from 1996 through to 2000 and has held similar roles in the Welsh Rugby Union as well as SANZAR – prior to Argentina’s inclusion.
Navigating the repercussions of a sponsor’s sentencing is a delicate situation that Moffet says NZR should have been monitoring and seeking consultation on since the time allegations arose.
“Well the first thing I’d be concerned about,” Moffet told Brendan Telfar on The Platform. “Would be to protect the All Black brand. As we know, it’s a huge brand in sport, let alone rugby. Right around the world, it’s the most visible New Zealand brand out there. So, I would be looking at doing whatever I could to protect that brand.
“What they’ve done so far is they’ve put out a holding statement and then having a lot of discussions.
“It’s a sad day for rugby actually because it’s now embroiled World Rugby in the whole thing and it’s a bit of a shambles.
“What I would then do, having put out a holding statement – and hopefully this is what New Zealand Rugby’s been doing – because this has now been on foot, this court case, for a long time, I would have been actually seeking some world-class advice on how to protect a brand if things went south and there was convictions, as there have been in this case. There are those people that can advise you on the steps you need to take, and then I would send the bill to Altrad for having got that advice because it won’t come cheap.”
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New Zealand Rugby added significantly to their business portfolio in 2022, completing deals with Silverlake, Altrad, SAP and Ineos. Vocal criticism around the Silverlake deal for the sake of business autonomy, as well as the ethical backlash over Ineos’s role in the climate crisis overshadowed the backlash around the All Blacks and Altrad’s parternship. However, discussion is now picking up over the due dilligance that went into the deal. Moffet says Altrad’s sentencing is a lose-lose for New Zealand Rugby both financially and in terms of public image.
“The next conversation I’d be having is with Silverlake because as we know, Silverlake have bought the rights to the commercial activity of New Zealand Rugby, and they will have a hugely invested interest in what happens next in this multi-million dollar sponsorship because they get a percentage of that.”
Moffet says New Zealand Rugby will have to move quickly to resolve the issue, but they’re not the only governing body in this unfortuante position.
“There’s three options… the one is to actually cancel the contract with Altrad, the other is to renegotiate a contract with Altrad and then the third one is to walk away from it.
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“The other conversation they should be having, and I’m sure they are, is with the FFR, the French Rugby Union, because they also have Altrad as their sponsor and to find out what their position is.
‘If there’s any possibility of the All Black brand being tarnished from it, then you have no choice but to walk away from it.
Comments on RugbyPass
Big difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
29 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
29 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
29 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
29 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
29 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to comments