In a recent article in Rugby Heaven, Greg Ford is not clear about what kind of share, if at all, the NZRU should have of their Super 14 franchises. About the time John O’Neill took over as ARU Boss, Greg Ford wrote another article about ‘privatising off’ NZ rugby, which was suffused with a golden glow that something wonderful was about to happen.
Previous to that, John O’Neill had stated his concern for ARU finances and wanted a partnership with the Sydney CBD (Central Business District). Straight away the Sydney corporate media were reporting on the ‘buy off’ of Australian rugby.
O’Neill immediately rebuked the media ‘beat up’ stating that the ARU was not about to provide a ‘pigs in the trough’ (he used those words) windfall for certain private interests.
‘Calm down’, he said, we need people involved in Australian rugby who have the long term goals and interests of the game at heart. We will not put at risk the assets of Australian Rugby but we are willing to share the financial burden and profits with business. However the ARU will always have, in good measure, the controlling interest.
Remember, O’Neill had just come from a whirlwind period as head of Australian Soccer, a body which completely embraces the privatisation ethos.
The privatisation of the Melbourne franchise has a different context to the other Australian franchises. The ARU could not financially support a 5th franchise.
With the help of Mr Tew and the NZ NPC (National Provincial Competition), O’Neill has puffed up the ailing Super competition so he can provide the Australian TV audience with a full season of rugby and hopefully compete with the media blitz of AFL, NFL and Australian soccer.
The stakes are high. The All Blacks were built from an economy of scale, in recent times global corporate interests have thrown huge amounts of money its way.
New Zealand has a recent history of being naive and cavalier with its national interests.
What the NZRU needs is a boss who has a good intellectual grip of the complete picture and who is not an ideologue; especially of certain business practises.
I am not sure that Mr Tew fills that role.
At the moment I feel very fearful for the future of New Zealand rugby union.
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