NZ Rugby has right to feel ripped off
Ouch. That hurts. The Rugby Championship has been awarded by Sanzaar to our old mates across the pond, and there’s no point New Zealanders being sore losers.
No way. All is just in the rough old world of business and Rugby Australia, with the assistance of its politicians, presented a compelling case.
It won this scrap, fair and square. Or did NZ Rugby enter the ring with one arm strapped to its side and an onion sack over its head?
NZ Rugby’s dream of hosting the championship died in the hands of the bureaucrats who were unable, or unwilling, to agree to a plan for visiting squads from South Africa, Australia and Argentina to fully prepare during a two-week quarantine period.
It’s important to be clear on one thing. Public safety is very important during a pandemic. NZ
Rugby knows this.
In fact, the majority of Kiwis do – the team ‘‘team of 5 million’’, if you like – and that is why many have abided the law since Covid-19 seeped into our communities.
When Sanzaar announced midJuly that New Zealand was its preferred host for the Rugby Championship, we Kiwis were a content bunch.
The wildly successful Super Rugby Aotearoa was humming, crowds were flocking to games under level one and Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson said the Government was keen to work with NZ Rugby and Sanzaar to see if the championship could be held safely.
As the weeks ticked by, there was the odd squeak from within NZ Rugby that it was trying to tie things down with the health authorities and sort quarantine protocols for the visiting squads.
In fact you could say NZ Rugby didn’t help itself by keeping quiet. As ex-All Blacks great Sir John Kirwan stated recently, NZ Rugby needed to be more vocal.
NZ Rugby may have felt it had to
walk on eggshells, believing it was in no position to stick a hot needle under the Government’s skin.
Well, it didn’t do much good. The Government’s plan for visiting squads to train in groups of 15 as early as three days after arrival if they tested negative for Covid-19,
and then for up to 25 players to train together after six days, dependent on another negative test, wasn’t enough for Sanzaar.
A solution could not be found. So Sanzaar has found a friend in Rugby Australia.
And won’t the Aussies be
chuffed. Especially after NZ Rugby demanded it only wanted two of its teams for a proposed trans-Tasman competition in place of Super Rugby next year.
So New Zealand has missed out on a six-week international rugby tournament.
No doubt some folks will shrug their shoulders and say ‘‘who cares?’’ Rugby, after all, doesn’t appeal to everyone. No problems, there. Many jig to a different beat.
But, let’s not forget, rugby tests attract fans; if these games were played under alert level 1, the hospitality industry would surely have loved the chance to feed and water the public before and after fixtures.
And that’s just scratching the surface. Many other businesses would have welcomed the movement of visitors in and out of their cities.
Prior to the opening round of Super Rugby Aotearoa in mid-June, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Robertson joined the rugby community in celebrating the launch of the first professional sports competition since the world went into lockdown.
Ardern and Robertson wore the colours of their respective teams, the Chiefs and Highlanders, with pride. It was a photo opportunity too good to miss and they grinned for the cameras.
As some in rugby land might say, they kicked the goal. It was to be another three weeks before Rugby Australia could get its domestic competition going. We showed them how it was done.
Now the Aussies are having the last laugh. Game, set and match. And look who is smiling, now.
NZ Rugby’s dream of hosting the championship died in the hands of the bureaucrats who were unable, or unwilling, to agree to a plan for visiting squads to fully prepare during a twoweek quarantine period.