Rotten in the state of our rugby

Samisoni Taukei’aho dropped when he had clearly outplayed Codie Taylor. It looked like a publicity stunt so Dane Coles could play a final test in Wellington.

Why was Laulala picked despite his obvious deficiencies? They were exposed by Ireland. He missed a first up tackle in the opening minutes of the first half and he knocked on in his own 22 in the closing minutes.

All this is symptomatic of a think tank that picks people out of position and expects it to work. Will Jordan has to adjust to defending on the wing in a high pressure test match. David Havili has to shift out of position when RTS comes on for an impossible debut. What a shambles.

And then there is the other fish head, the one at New Zealand Rugby. The rot started under the leadership of former CEO Steve

Tew and an entitled culture that intimidated people. And it has continued with leadership at board level.

For example, there has been the issue of conflicts of interest, which was rather starkly pointed out by an independent review into last year’s disastrous Black Ferns tour of Europe. That review cited conflicts of interests of which there were several. The most obvious of those to me is the deputy chair of the New Zealand Rugby board, Farah Palmer, being married to the Black Ferns assistant coach.

I watched Saturday night’s disaster with two leading figures in New Zealand business and governance. Both mentioned how quickly businesses decline if the culture is rotten. New Zealand Rugby has been rotten for a while. It is time for a cleanout. The country will accept nothing less.