Net loss for ‘unselfish’ staff
Ian Foster pledges to be ready to roll out the All Blacks whenever they’re needed to lead the post-coronavirus response. The reality is he can probably hold his horses as it may be some time before anyone is in any shape for rugby teams to start jetting around the globe.
New Zealand rugby needs to prepare itself for a resumption of activity in due course. It is impossible now to estimate any time-frame, but at some stage in coming months society will take a stride back to normality and sport will have a part to play in that healing process. An important role, too. Sport will serve as a panacea for a public craving a return to normality. Broadcasters, if they’re still standing, will require product. The codes themselves must start generating revenue to have any chance of rebuilding out of the coronarubble.
And while there’s a fanciful notion that the All Blacks would be the perfect vehicle for New Zealand rugby to ride on the resumption road, cold hard facts suggest that might be impossible in the shorter term.
If you’ve followed this Covid19 situation with any degree of perception, you will likely have reached a conclusion along these lines: international travel and freedom of global movement is likely to be one of the last steps made back towards life as we used to know it.
What does this mean for highperformance sport?
It’s likely that sporting organisations the world over will need to be prepared to restart within their geographic boundaries and that, initially at least, competition will be internal rather than international.
In rugby terms, it’s more likely we’ll have some localised form of Super Rugby, or maybe even a souped up national provincial championship, before we have anything involving the All Blacks. That’s just a reality in these unprecedented times.
There’s a reason that Air New Zealand is contemplating life in the aftermath of the Covid-19
‘‘Sporting organisations the world over will need to be prepared to restart within their geographic boundaries.’’
shutdown as essentially a domestic airline.
As countries assess their states after their respective lockdowns, tally the numbers and decide on whether society is ready to step out from behind closed doors, you have to think that border restrictions will remain in place for some time.
The fact of the matter is that international travel is how this murderous virus has made its way around the globe.
While nations lick their wounds and take the early steps in their brave new worlds, they will be most reluctant to reopen those avenues and risk reinfection.
So, what are the options for New Zealand rugby?
A lot will depend on how long the shutdown lasts and how
quickly Covid-19 can be eradicated. If that’s a shorter term, rather than a longer one, it is highly likely that some form of a Kiwi Super Rugby resumption will be attempted.
The squads are still together, remaining in communication, doing their best to stay fit. They will be the most prepared to leap into competition.
So, maybe a round-robin among the five New Zealand teams and some sort of playoffs setup. Winner goes straight to the final. Second and third face off to see who joins them. Some variation of that.
There might be a temptation to retain points earned so far, but that’s too messy. A fresh beginning might be the cleaner, more meaningful way of going about it. At a time when we’ll all be starting over, launching a new rugby competition has some poignancy about it.
Then, once that plays out, maybe, if travel remains off the agenda, we morph into a provincial championship. The All Blacks will be scattered around it. Playing for future selection. Provinces can unite behind their teams. It could have a real edge to it.
Maybe trans-Tasman travel returns sooner than more farreaching routes. Maybe there’s a chance for some sort of a grand final against the Aussie equivalents, morphing into a Bledisloe series.
Maybe. But as rugby plots its next move, it seems certain that ‘‘locals only’’ might be the preferable mode. No doubt the world just got smaller.