The Rugby Championship is the only thing keeping NZR's bills paid
One thing is keeping the wolf from New Zealand Rugby’s (NZR) door.
One thing stands between them and financial oblivion. It could have been two things, except NZR completely cocked up the first.
I’m not bothered about who’s right in this public spat between NZR and Rugby Australia. All I know is that without SANZAAR and that body’s broadcast agreements, NZR is stuffed.
If I’m NZR chief executive, I have two main items on the to-do list for 2021: drive through the private equity agreement with Silver Lake and keep SANZAAR sweet.
The Silver Lake thing came down to two parties as well. Robinson had to convince the lemmings from the 26 provincial unions to give Silver Lake the thumbs up, as well as the players’ association.
The unions were no trouble. They’re beholden to NZR and wouldn’t exist without the governing body’s generosity, so that took no work.
Imagine our surprise then when NZR – largely through the big mouth of former chairman Brent Impey – declared the Silver Lake deal a slam dunk.
Now I’ve been a proponent of NZR trying to generate revenue from non-broadcast markets. I’ve been critical of the New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association (NZRPA) and their propensity to take, but never give.
They’re seemingly happy to receive money, but never support NZR’s attempts to earn it.
But you can’t go public with details of a private equity deal – as NZR did – when one of the parties with the ability to scupper that hasn’t been adequately consulted, let alone agreed to it.
But then arrogance has become a hallmark of the way NZR do business.
They’ll tell other nations how it is, whether it be when and where the All Blacks will be prepared to play them, how much of the gate they’d like and who they’re prepared to let into their competitions.
Lest we forget that’s how last year’s Tri-Nations ended up in Australia.
We want these teams in Super Rugby, for instance, and you Australian non-entities should be glad we’ve deigned to include you at all.
Heck, we’ll even stage back-to-back Bledisloe Cup tests at Eden Park and you’ll have to like it. Only not many people did and the stadium was barely half-full.
But I digress.
The Silver Lake deal has not gone through and NZR are the best part of $400 million poorer because of it.
Robinson and Impey, who presided over a $34 million loss for NZR in 2020, had one group to keep onside here and they couldn’t. Far from it, in fact.
The more Impey spoke, the more the NZRPA were inclined to walk away from negotiations.
Now I hope Robinson went through the appropriate channels when it came to informing RA the All Blacks wouldn’t be playing the Wallabies in Perth this Saturday.
Maybe Robinson was just being flippant when he told a radio station that senior All Blacks were texting senior Wallabies and, therefore, RA knew the game was a goner.
But to even throw that up as an example of the open dialogue between the two parties was laughable.
The All Blacks have to play this year; and not in some Mickey Mouse game against the United States either. They need to play Australia, South Africa and Argentina because they are essentially the only thing paying the bills right now.
When Covid-19 first hit, some of us talked of New Zealand going it alone. Of starting from scratch and building a more domestically-based model that showcased our game to the world.
An all-singing, all-dancing provincial competition and in-bound tours from other nations that covered the length and breadth of the country. A chance to return to a format that so enchanted fans for generations.
Only it wouldn’t pay its way, we were told. New Zealand Rugby needed Australia and South Africa, particularly, and multi-national competitions that attracted global sponsors and broadcasters.
New Zealand and it’s mighty All Blacks simply didn’t have the clout to go it alone or dictate terms.
So why are we thumbing our nose at RA then? Why is the clamour within South Africa to seek Northern Hemisphere partners growing? Why are we the ones seemingly putting the SANZAAR alliance under the greatest threat?
The idea of All Blacks exceptionalism has sustained us for more than a hundred years. We feel certain we have the best players, playing the best brand of rugby, and that everyone else can’t get enough of us.
But that exceptionalism doesn’t extend to NZR. No-one, it seems, is remotely impressed by them.
Not our players’ association and definitely not NZR’s so-called SANZAAR partners.
Whatever goodwill existed between NZR and RA is long gone now and Robinson and company are doing nothing to regenerate it. At every turn they seem to dismiss RA’s beliefs or feelings, at a time when we’ve actually never needed them more.
It’s immaterial who’s right or wrong here. It doesn’t matter who told who the All Blacks weren’t playing in Perth this week.
What matters here is that NZR appear to be drowning and there’s no-one left who’s prepared to throw them a life preserver.
Comments on RugbyPass
The shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to comments