Tew sends ultimatum on global season
New Zealand Rugby will force the issue of a global season by negotiating individual matches for the All Blacks from 2020 if changes aren’t made to the international rugby calendar.
NZR chief executive Steve Tew made it clear this week that, by seconding England’s Bill Beaumont to succeed Bernard Lapasset as World Rugby chairman, it expects progress to be made on its long-standing desire for a unified, global season.
The hope is that a new broom brings change.
World Rugby has a three-year deadline looming, with no test matches scheduled beyond the 2019 World Cup in Japan, and Tew is effectively giving the governing body an ultimatum to devise a different system before then.
‘‘That’s the urgency and from our point of view we think that’s not a bad thing and we’ve made it very clear around the World Rugby table that there’s no default option. We don’t believe the current system is sustainable,’’ Tew said, emphatically.
‘‘We need a different season structure than we have now and we’re not going to default to the current one. We’re going to force that issue. People will have to come to the table and we’ll negotiate individual matches in 2020 which wouldn’t be bad for a short period of time quite frankly.
‘‘I wouldn’t call it a precondition – we just expect him [Beaumont] to show some leadership in that area.’’
Under the current model, southern hemisphere nations keep revenue from the three inbound June tests. Wales are next on the agenda here. The reverse is true of the November internationals in the northern winter.
A nation like New Zealand, however, believes the model is unfair as its small stadiums can’t generate anywhere near comparable revenue from ticket sales. Come November, the All Blacks gain no benefit from their drawcard status in Europe.
Revenue-sharing tests such as the All Blacks match against Ireland in Chicago on November 5 are agreed outside the international window.
Any change in schedule would also result in a review of the financial formula, with Tew gaining support from the likes of South Africa in the push for a more equitable model.
At present the June tests also interrupt Super Rugby – further disrupting the flow of the already convoluted 18-team competition.
Player welfare is another key driver behind the push for a global season. Unified breaks would help manage workloads at a time when players are asked to batter their bodies through more rugby than ever.
Beaumont won’t be New Zealand’s only ally in forcing this issue, either. Argentina’s Agustin Pichot, the man almost singlehandedly responsible for his country’s inclusion in the Rugby Championship and Super Rugby, is expected to assume World Rugby’s vice-chairman role from South Africa’s Oregan Hoskins when elections are held in Dublin on May 11.
‘‘Are we getting closer to an agreement? Probably not, but at least the discussions are current.’’
It would be madness to throw money in one direction at the expense of another.
It would be madness to throw money in one direction at the expense of another. All Blacks coach Steve Hansen would have argued that he didn’t want his record to be compromised by losing more players, having already farewelled Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock, Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith after the World Cup. So he has held on to some men.
Tietjens would have wanted more All Blacks for the Olympics, and he had every right to lobby for their services. He did get Sonny Bill Williams and Liam Messam. The Hurricanes have allowed some access to Ardie Savea, and the Blues brokered a similar deal with Akira Ioane and Rieko Ioane.
The NZ sevens programme hasn’t been starved of cash. NZ Rugby aren’t obtuse. They know winning gold in Rio would enhance their brand. Money makes things happen and they have dished it out.
When NZ Rugby negotiated a new collective with the NZ players association in 2013, they doubled the payment fund for the men’s programme from $1.6 million to $3.5 million to the end of 2015. This allowed a core of players to make sevens a priority ahead of Rio. High Performance Sport New Zealand also funded the NZ men’s team $1.2 million for 2015 and 2016. Has it been enough? Things seem to be trucking along well. Look at the results.
Just a couple of days ago New Zealand won the tournament in Vancouver, Canada, beating South Africa 19-14 in the final. They sit third on the World Sevens Series ladder, behind Fiji and South Africa. Just two points separate the three teams.
Tietjens’ men achieved that win in Vancouver without the celebrated Williams or the Super Rugby players, while veteran DJ Forbes – a sevens specialist – proved a vital contributor.Tietjens has the resources to win gold in Rio. He’s not bleating, and neither should we.
Just get on with it.