Mark Reason: Rugby boss is the optimist we need
better . . . a format that can be easily understandable. Potential travel costs are an issue. Everything’s on the table.’’
Will the Farah Palmer Cup go ahead? ‘‘We’re absolutely committed to it. We hope to be able to announce in the coming while what we are going to be able to do around the Farah Palmer Cup, what semi-professional or professional women’s rugby looks like.’’
Is NZR in charge of Sky TV or is Sky in charge of NZR?
‘‘We’re working really hard with Sky around the way people can engage with the game.’’
Should the All Blacks captaincy be announced on a limited viewer, pay subscription channel?
‘‘I take your point that that may have been perceived that way.’’
Would you do it again?
‘‘Look, there’s a whole range of things that we’re looking at that will be different in the future.’’
Is New Zealand Rugby for sale to capital investment companies?
‘‘We’re open to a whole range of possibilities in terms of growing the business and the organisation.’’
Are you still keen on the World Rugby idea of a Nations Championship?
‘‘I have a sense we might be able to come up with something better.’’
Will the game between the North and South happen?
‘‘It’s got people talking about the game again. We’ve created a window between Super Rugby and Mitre 10 and our team is working through that really quickly to be able to announce what exactly it will look like.’’
If the players remain on their current salaries how can you balance costs with revenue?
‘‘The collective employment agreement is up for review next year.’’
Should NZR chairman Brent Impey be making inflammatory comments about the northern hemisphere – and a senior New Zealand businessman has written to Bill Beaumont apologising for those comments – ahead of a World Rugby election you were likely to lose?
Laughs. ‘‘We, I mean, yeah.’’ Laughs again. ‘‘We were consistent in whoever won that election we were going to support 100%.’’
Is Bart Campbell’s position on the board and on World Rugby’s executive a conflict of interests, given that he has a legal duty towards Melbourne Storm as a current director?
Pause. ‘‘Like any director coming into a role, we have declared those up front. We believe we have been open and transparent.’’
Two days later Robinson calls to make a final point: ‘‘People look to New Zealand Rugby to come in and solve situations like this [the provinces]. And the reality is we simply don’t have the cash to solve everyone’s issues. In a world where we have been the bank of last resort, there is no longer the ability to do that.’’
Robinson says that rugby is simply going to have to re-invent itself. The old model won’t work. ‘‘No-one will escape’’.
I ask, if he was marooned on the famous BBC desert island, a reality not far from his current one, what book he would take and what music he would save from the waves.
He chooses Full Circle by Bob Jones and the Killers’ Mr Brightside.
The opening lines of Mr Brightside are: ‘‘Coming out of my cage
And I’ve been doing just fine.’’ Always look on the bright side of life. The world needs optimists like Robinson right now.