Mackinnon: We can save Super Rugby

The man leading the review into New Zealand’s Super Rugby involvement has vowed to come up with a dynamic, viable path forward out of the coronavirus shutdown with a likely emphasis on the domestic game.

‘‘The crisis creates the opportunity,’’ says Don Mackinnon of what he’s viewing as one of the most important junctures the New Zealand professional game has faced. ‘‘This is not a talkfest . . . I’m confident we can create something incredibly exciting and truly world-class out of all of this.’’

New Zealand Rugby on Monday announced that Blues board chairman Mackinnon would lead a comprehensive review into its Super Rugby model in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, centred on the principles of ‘‘growing, regeneration and invigoration’’.

It’s a heavyweight group chaired by Auckland lawyer Mackinnon who is an experienced operator in the area of sports governance.

Other members of the panel are the remaining four Kiwi Super Rugby chairmen, Tonia Cawood (Chiefs), Iain Potter (Hurricanes), Grant Jarrold (Crusaders) and Doug Harvie (Highlanders), private investor representative Liz Dawson, NZ Rugby chair Brent Impey and national chief executive Mark Robinson.

The scope of Aratipu (growth), as the project has been dubbed, includes New Zealand’s Super Rugby involvement, the competition’s role in the domestic highperformance pathway, a review of the ownership and equity structure and also digital rights. A steering committee, private investor working group and other independent parties will also be part of the process.

In an interview with Stuff, Mackinnon gave a strong indication that looking inward is likely to be the best approach post-Covid and that he very much sees this internal review as a valuable reset tool for the flagging Super Rugby competition.

‘‘It is a wide scope, a lot to get through and there will be a lot of people spoken to,’’ Mackinnon said. ‘‘But the questions the review throws up need to be answered. There’s no avoiding it. The licences come up at the end of this year anyway so there was an immediate need to look at the way we best shape Super Rugby going forward, and with the pandemic there are a whole new series of equations that have to be factored in and answered.’’

It has already been well flagged that any Super Rugby resumption in 2020 will involve local competitions, with plans advanced on a 10-week Kiwi league (likely in empty stadiums) bringing the game back to our TV screens.

But Mackinnon told Stuff that the likely travel restrictions in the post-Covid world would have to be factored heavily into the recommendations the panel comes up with.

‘‘The most obvious issue is how much cross-border Super Rugby is going to be possible in 2021 and beyond. We don’t know the answer to that, but we have to develop a plan for the possibility of having a much stronger domestic

Don Mackinnon element.

‘‘Sanzaar have to be part of this discussion, as does Sky as the competition broadcaster [in New Zealand]. But we have to develop scenarios that are workable and really exciting for our investors and the public.

‘‘We will have to keep a close eye on what’s happening internationally, but also being focused on the very real prospect that for next year at least it could be a domestic-only competition or with the possibility of a bubble with Australia.’’

In other words, do not be surprised if Super Rugby retracts, with a trans-Tasman competition now a firm possibility. Be still Australia’s beating heart.

‘‘This is not a talkfest,’’ clarified Mackinnon. ‘‘The goal is to provide a clear recommendation to the NZR board who ultimately have to make the decision as to the way forward.’’

But Mackinnon is adamant that extraordinary times create groundbreaking pathways: ‘‘The old adage that out of every crisis comes opportunity is one you have to adopt here. There is a chance to create really effective alignment between provincial unions and Super Rugby clubs and also between the clubs and NZ Rugby. It is extraordinarily important juncture.

’’There will be real limits on travel next year. You then say how could we create a product that is more strongly founded in domestic rugby. There’s no doubt we could create something New Zealand rugby fans will really buy into.’’

Asked if he sensed an appetite for change around the Super game in New Zealand, Mackinnon conceded the status quo was simply not a model that could continue.

‘‘But the answer is yes,’’ he said. ‘‘There is a real sense of it’s time to move this competition to a new level. I don’t think that should be seen by the provincial unions as a threat.’’

There is plenty of water to flow under the bridge yet. Government decisions post-Covid will be pivotal, as will the timeline for a vaccine and the financial landscape that remains. Commercial arrangements will also factor in heavily.

But it’s a piece of work that Mackinnon, for all his commitments, was delighted to be part of.

‘‘We could create something quite exceptional if we get this right,‘‘ he declared.

New Zealand rugby may well be banking on it.

‘‘This is not a talkfest . . . I’m confident we can create something incredibly exciting and truly worldclass out of all of this.’’