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Uncertain times: 'Players aren't sure whether to come home and go up there or stay or what to do'
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The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the state of rugby around the world has left many New Zealand rugby players with a sense of uncertainty over their immediate futures, with some who play overseas not being able to return home.
The coronavirus outbreak, along with the mandatory 14 days of isolation imposed by the New Zealand government over the weekend, has forced competitions like Super Rugby to suspend matches for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, competitions overseas have also been forced into similar measures, with many countries in Europe being some of the worst-affected in the world.
NZ Rugby Players Association (NZRPA) boss Rob Nichol said some Kiwi players have been forced to stay overseas and have not been able to return home because of the pandemic.
“Players aren’t sure whether to come home and go up there or stay or what to do,” Nichol said in an interview with Radio Sport’s D’Arcy Waldegrave.
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“When you talk about players who are up in France, or up in the UK, 48 hours ago a number of the players understood the French competition was obviously on hold, but 48 hours later, they’re effectively in a lock down/curfew situation for the next 40 days. And that happened really quickly. And so they’re all having to adjust to that.
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“We had a number of players from Spain contact us and some of them have managed to get on flights home around the 20th of March but a number of them are going to have to stay and ride it out.
“So players around the world, like a lot of people from around the world, are just trying to deal with the pandemic the best way they can.”
Nichol confirmed to the Herald that about 420 players registered with the NZRPA are still overseas.
The players are also bracing for the potential commercial impact of the coronavirus pandemic and how it could affect them.
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While the suspension and possible cancellation of competitions like Super Rugby won’t affect the salaries of players in New Zealand, who don’t receive per-match payments or bonuses, Nichol admits that there will be an economic impact on rugby and its players.
“We are really really conscious that this current situation is going to have a commercial impact on the game and we absolutely understand that,” Nichol told the Herald. “We don’t know what that is yet necessarily. And it is a time of uncertainty.
“We have a collective agreement with New Zealand Rugby plus the provincial union that sets out parameters under which we combine our efforts and generate money for the professional game and how we share those funds and how they’re applied to paying players. So at the moment that doesn’t necessarily change.
The date that seems to be the line in the sand for season 2019/20 https://t.co/dA7RCYMjYn
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“The players’ contracts … will be status quo at the moment, but that said, we know that this pandemic is going to have a commercial impact on the game. We just don’t quite know what the extent on that is.”
For now, the players’ association is working closely with NZ Rugby and its stakeholders, and are offering support to players affected by the pandemic.
“The players are people first and foremost and they care about their fellow people, their family and friends,” Nichol said. “That’s where most people’s thoughts are with, both those that are with them in New Zealand and those that are overseas. A lot of the players have friends that are overseas in UK, Europe, Japan and America for example.
“First and foremost our thoughts are with people. Secondly, everyone is focused on trying to play the role we’re supposed to play in terms of what the government strategy is in dealing with this pandemic. They want to be responsible and do the right thing and follow the guidelines just like everyone else.
“And likewise, they want to make sure we’re around the table when we do what we have to for our industry and our requirements and our colleagues and other stakeholders in the sport.
“That’s kind of where things are at. It’s uncertain times; it’s not easy for anyone. But the players we have always maintained that through the good times and through the bad times, the way we work through things are together.”
This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and is republished with permission.
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Comments on RugbyPass
I am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to commentsCan’t wait for the article that talks about misogyny in Ireland. Somehow.
16 Go to commentsI would like to see a rule change, when the attacking team is held up over the try line, by allowing the defensive team to restart a goal line drop out releases the pressure for the defensive team, but what if the attacking team had to restart a tap 5m out from the defensive team it gives the attacking team to apply more pressure, there are endless options for the attacking side and it will keep the fans in suspence.
2 Go to commentsLess modern South African males predictably triggered.
16 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to commentsThough Wilson’s sacking was pretty brutal, it wasn’t just down to that Leinster game; Glasgow had a lot of 2nd half collapses that season, in the URC and Europe, and only just scraped into the playoffs. Franco Smith has definitely been an improvement, some players are delivering far more than they did under Wilson.
2 Go to commentsjesus - that front 5!
1 Go to commentsShould be an absolute cracker of a game! Will be great to see DuPont & Ntamack in tandem once again🔥
1 Go to commentsBest team ever…. To have played? These guys are still pressure chokers. Came nowhere when it counted. What a joke
84 Go to commentsMusk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
2 Go to commentsActually the era defining moment came a few years earlier. February 2002 to be precise, when Michael D Higgins as finance minister at the time introduced his sports persons tax relief bill to the dial. As the politicians of the day stated “It seems to be another daft K Club frolic born in Kildare amongst the well-paid professional jockeys with whom the Minister plays golf” and that the scheme represented “a savage uncaring vision of Ireland and one that should be condemned”. The irfu and Leinster would be nowhere near the position they are in today without this key component of the finances.
5 Go to commentsIt is crystal clear that people who make such threats on line should be tried and imprisoned. Those with responsibility in social media companies who don’t facilitate this should be convicted. In real life, I have free speech to approach someone like Reinach and verbally threaten him. I am risking a conviction or a slap but I could do it. In the old days, If someone anonymously threatened someone by letter the police would ask and use evidence from the postal system. Unlike the Post, social media companies have complete instant and legal access to the content in social media. They make money from the data, billions. Yet, they turn a blind eye to terrorism, Nazi-ism and industrial levels of threats against individuals including their address and childrens schools being published online all from ananoymous accounts not real people. They claim free speech. Free speech for anonymous trolls/voilent thugs threatening people under false names? The fault is with the perps but also social media companies who think anonymous personas posting death threats constitutes free speech.
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