What happened to rugby’s Anzac spirit?
Remember when NZ Rugby was the envy of the sporting world? It seems so long ago, now. Let’s reflect on those happy times before the thunderclouds from across the Tasman obliterate them.
If rugby really was the game made in heaven, New Zealand was the right place to attract the angels with rugger balls tucked under their wings following the Covid-19 lockdown.
Super Rugby Aotearoa, the first professional sports competition to restart after the world had been in the grip of a pandemic, had been a belter.
Better news was to follow. Sanzaar confirmed New Zealand was the preferred option to host the Rugby Championship.
It didn’t seem too good to be true because New Zealand appeared to have done everything right in terms of keeping the virus out of society, and allowing sports events to continue.
Then the dream began to splinter.
Not in his maddest moments would new All Blacks coach Ian Foster have envisaged such a ridiculous sequence of events when he finally secured this dream job.
When Sanzaar announced that Australia would host the Rugby Championship, Foster must have been furious.
NZ Rugby put the blame squarely on the Government for being too rigid with its quarantine protocols. But what is done, is done.
Then Wallabies coach Dave Rennie blasted into the narrative; he said unless NZ Rugby could do something about those rules the Wallabies wouldn’t play the first Bledisloe Cup test in New Zealand.
And Rennie won. The Government relaxed the regulations, and it was confirmed two matches would be played in New Zealand.
All the while another dispute between NZ Rugby and Rugby Australia has continued to percolate; NZ Rugby’s decision to tell the Aussies it wanted only two of their teams in a remodelled trans-Tasman competition in 2021 was considered blunt and rude. Rugby Australia responded by telling NZ Rugby to stick that proposition.
Now Sanzaar has delivered a Rugby Championship schedule that means the All Blacks will still be in quarantine on Christmas Day.
It has been NZ Rugby’s turn to roar with indignation. The Aussies must be cackling into their soup.
Not good enough, said NZ Rugby CEO Mark Robinson.
He has suggested the Aussies reneged on an agreement to play the tournament over five weeks, not six, which would have allowed the players to be reunited with their families before Christmas Day.
Sanzaar boss Andy Marinos responded by stating the five-week schedule would have compromised player welfare. He also noted that NZ Rugby’s modelling was for the final game to be played on the 12th, and it changed its mind when the tournament was awarded to Australia.
So much uncertainty, and the clock is ticking. None of this is good for Foster.
A number of All Blacks have young families, or partners who are expecting to give birth. Being away from home on Christmas Day won’t appeal.
At least there is one positive to this white-hot friction between NZ Rugby and Rugby Australia as they trade karate chops around the negotiating table.
The Bledisloe Cup won’t lack intent. The first match, in Wellington on October 11, can’t come soon enough.
If the off-field fisticuffs are anything to go by, it will be worth watching. Frankly, you would be mad to miss it.
So much uncertainty, and the clock is ticking. None of this is good for [All Blacks coach Ian] Foster.