Otago rugby admits it has to do better

BARRY HARCOURT/Southland Times

WORM IS TURNING: Otago and Highlanders boss Richard Reid is now a year into his job and says slowly but surely things are starting to head in the right direction.

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These are tough times for Otago rugby as they deal with struggles on the field, poor crowds, the player drain and a proposed new stadium that continues to hang in the balance.

RugbyHeaven's Marc Hinton sat down with chief executive Richard Reid to take the southern pulse.

RugbyHeaven: There was a lot of talk last Super 14 about the Highlanders needing to get as many of their draft players back as possible. Have you ticked all the boxes there?

Richard Reid: I think so. If there was 100 percent of what we were looking at we've probably got 80, and that's a lot better than what we've done in the last few years. So, I'm comfortable.

RH: This business of transferring players, then loaning them back to provincial unions, seems to have become de rigueur. Is this the way it has to be done now?

RR: It's a way that it can be done now. I don't think it was the intent when the rules were written, but whenever you write rules someone finds a way round them. Having said that I don't think it's a bad way round them, because one of the bitches that other provincial unions have had is that good players get snaffled and locked up in the five Super 14 franchises. If you're trying to spread  the talent it's got to be a good thing if, say, Clint Newland comes down here and plays for the Highlanders and goes back to Hawke's Bay. It's a win for Clint, it's a win for Hawke's Bay and it's a win for the Highlanders.

RH: Otago has just finished 10th in the Air NZ Cup. What's the boss' attitude to a poor season like that?

RR: It's a fail mark. At the beginning of the year when we dropped nine players off the contract list, and cut it by 25 percent, I was hopeful we were going to have a better season but was also understanding if we didn't. All I could deal with is what we've got. Now we do the exercise again and try to get a squad for '09 and '10. It's disappointing but understandable.

RH: Does a poor season for the base union provincially translate to tough times ahead for the Super 14 side?

RR: I don't think so. We've got continuity of some players from last year, and we've got the other franchise partner in Southland doing really well. I suspect there will be a few more players from down there Glenn [Moore] will be looking at. If there are three parts to it – Otago, Southland and continuity of the draft guys – well, we've got two out of three.

RH: On October 29 the Super 14 coaches get together to work out the draft. Is that an  important day to get few more pieces to the puzzle?

RR: Heck yeah. The nice thing is we won't have to go as deep in the draft because we've got some of these guys like Fetu'u Vainikolo signed and other guys coming back on loan. We won't be in for as many as we were last year. But there will be two or three positions that we'll be keen on. 

RH: Looking at the Super 14, is it inevitable the landscape is going to change, with more teams, more games and a bigger chunk of the calendar taken?

RR: I think so. Everyone seems to be in agreement there can only be one level of professional footy in New Zealand. Arguably there's two now and three if you throw in the All Blacks. There is now a complete understanding both from the provinces and NZ rugby that there is only going to be one level and that's going to be an extended Super 14. There are probably two or three models of what that might look like. By 2010 that will probably be up and operating depending on negotiations with broadcasters.

RH: From where you sit is the provincial picture as gloomy as some are painting?

RR: People have got to get used to the fact provincial rugby is going to change from, say, when we were kids. It's not going to be the only show in town. From our point of view the Highlanders will in a short period of time be the only show in town, and Otago will be a feeder for that. It's just a reality we've got to deal with. But this year, particularly in some of the provinces, the support has been fantastic. In Auckland and maybe Canterbury there's plenty of other things for people to do so it doesn't translate necessarily into support for the team. Our playing performance has been poor, but I'm convinced people will turn up if we play better.

RH: So with this evolution process going on, does provincial rugby have to find a new place in the scheme of things?

RR: It's in the place it is now and it's going to stay there. It's just a case of everyone getting their heads around it. The last piece of the jigsaw which is not in place is what the Super 14 looks like. Once you know what that looks like you can make a judgment call on what the ANZC looks like. That's not far away.

RH: You're now a year into your job, is Otago rugby heading in the right direction?

RR: I think so. There's many parts to the business. People often just judge it on how your first team does. The No 1 thing we've got to do is get our finances under control. We've dropped $1.5 million in the last two seasons. We've stripped $900,000 out of the expense line this year. Everyone's got do that, it's not limited to us. We've got to get back into the black and prove to ourselves we can run a business on what we earn, and we're on track to do that.  We've got to get better results on the playing field because everything flows from that, more people turn up, and the perception is better. But we're doing OK. We were probably a D [when I started], and we're a C now. But there's still a lot of work to be done. This is not a one-year effort.

RH: There's a February deadline set for private funding on the new stadium in Dunedin. How important is this venue for Otago/Highlanders rugby?

RR: It's certainly helpful. All you've got to do is look at what it's done in part to Wellington rugby, and the ability to generate income which flows through everywhere. Otago rugby and the Highlanders are very keen for it to happen, and from a personal point of view, if doesn't happen I believe in 20 years' time the people in Dunedin will be annoyed by the fact they didn't do it.

RH: It's clearly going to be a challenge coming up with the cash required in this economic climate. On the other side of the ledger does selling Carisbrook solve the money problems for Otago rugby?

RR: It solves some of them. Currently we pay $500,000 a year in interest on loans against Carisbrook. So if we can sell it and we don't start our P and L every year at minus 500 grand that will be helpful.

What's your prognosis for the Highlanders in 2009? Does Otago's poor Air NZ Cup mean the southern men are inevitably headed for another year of struggle at Super 14 level? Post your comments below. 

- © Fairfax NZ News

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John   #10   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Yea, I reckon the Stags have been shafted, just like Tasman. South Island rugby is in an administrative shambles. Time for them to import some North Island savvy, not just North Island players LOL

mike litoris   #9   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Once again Otago are the whipping boys of NZ rugby, everyone seems to forget that the Chiefs have a vastly inferior super 12/14 record than us. Night rugby has been to the detriment of Otago rugby, who the hell wants to turn up and see them play in sub zero temperatures? Otago rugby was at its best when scarfies were filling the terraces on sunny Dunedin sunday afternoons. Otago rugby has always relied on "draft players", it's a uni town for christs sake, count the number of our players that came from the Bay in the 90's, unfortunately the professional era has meant that they don't come to town for their studies anymore. Having a few more games in Invers and QT (my hometown god bless it) could only rejuvanate the Highlanders, just make sure that they take place in the afternoon! And lest we forget where NZ rugby would be (and indeed the NZRFU) if it weren't for a few brave young Otago-ites showing some balls in the mid 90's

dedric   #8   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Enough of that. Queenstown is about as worthy of a Super 14 game as David Hasselhoff is of an Oscar. Can someone tell me what, other than "breathtaking scenery" QT contributes to NZ sport? Having a game there this year instead of Invercargill was a farce and completely disrespectful to the Southland rugby public.

jose   #7   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

And since then the Chiefs have done what exactly?

John   #6   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

There are too many who are too quick to write off the Highlanders - and most of them have an agenda around shifting the franchise.

I think they need a third Div 1 feeder team - such as Hawkes Bay. We could be on our way there with the selection of Peter Russell as the assistant coach. Historically - Hawkes Bay players have done well in Dunedin - and with the strength that is currently in Southland - watch out for the Highlanders to finish in the top half of the Comp in 2009 and to be in the finals series in 2010.

And if that means that the Highlanders need to play a home game in Napier - Go for it.

judy moore   #5   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

what is this? - proposing to play in Palmerston North, their lies your problem - not enough Southern influence, why can't they have an afternoon game at beautiful queenstown. this not only is good for the game but showcases our beautiful south island. Get some woman running the rugby!!

Scotty   #4   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

That's interesting, a lot of people were saying the same thing about the Chiefs not to long ago...

Every province has a low ebb at some stage, some are just lower than others.

Matt   #3   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

I think a massive downfall for the Highlanders is the proposed game in Palmerston North. You could get 12,000+ crowds in Invercargill or Queenstown. I'd love to see the Highlanders come down here, will get good crowds every game but I admit it won't happen.

The Highlanders will take time to come right, with the mix of Southlanders and a few others they could become quite the team if they keep themselves together.

Bluffie   #2   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

For the past two seasons Southland has finished above Otago in the ANZ championship, this year substantially so. Fifth as against Otago's 10th placing and pushing top qualifier Wellington in the semi final. Will this see more Southland than Otago players in the Highlanders? Wait and see. Otago has simply paid lip service to Southland being equal partners and have used the Super 12/14 to bolster its own ranks, not particularly successfully as this seasons dismal results show. Following Otago rugby's dismal performances both on and off the field, previous CEOs capers and the proposed stadium debacle it is perhaps opportune to shift the Highlanders headquarters to Invercargill. Good funding base, settled administration, quality coaches in Henderson and Culhane. None of the personality clashes and secret agendas that have beset Otago in recent years. A fair go for Southland, not likely

Dave   #1   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

There are 14 teams in Super Rugby. Four teams get to be in the Semifinals. 10 teams don't. Around six teams win at least six matches. Each of the three countries will have at least one team that will fail to produce results.

For New Zealand, five teams compete for the semifinals, and the Highlanders are (and will be) the unfortunate team that will be at NZ's bottom, simply due to competition.

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