Fight brewing over NZ rugby changes

BY JOHN ALEXANDER

The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) faces a public backlash of calamitous proportions if it goes ahead with announced changes to next year's provincial competition format.

Momentum is gathering in the provinces among some unions, supporters and the rugby media for the NZRU to scrap those changes or face the consequences.

The Air New Zealand Cup (ANZC) is enjoying unprecedented popularity this season and is proving to be one of the most competitive and evenly fought since the old NPC was established in 1976.

Crowd numbers are generally well up, and television viewing audiences were up more than 86 percent after four rounds. On a Sky Reunion programme poll conducted this week, more than 70 percent voted for the ANZC competition to remain unchanged. The quality of rugby has been excellent, the All Blacks are keen to play whenever they get an opportunity and several exciting new players have been unearthed.

New teams Tasman, Counties Manukau, Hawke's Bay and Manawatu have taken time to get up to speed onfield, but now, four years down the track, they are more than matching it with the big boys. On their day, any team can beat the other, as has been proven so far in 2009. The Heartland competition kicked off in similar exciting fashion last week.

Tasman, Northland and Counties Manukau, who struggled financially in the initial stages of the ANZC, have now cut their cloth to fit and are keeping their heads above water.

Under the changes already approved and being actioned for 2010, the top premier division will comprise 10 teams. Four will drop out of the current 14 team competition to form a first division, effectively a second division, which will also include two promoted Heartland teams, making a six-team division.

The problem is that the Heartland teams have little chance of being competitive. Also, if Tasman or Manawatu were demoted, most of their best now almost entirely home-grown players would leave for premier unions.

Under a list of criteria to remain in the premier division, onfield performance is only a 20 percent factor and that, like the other criteria, is judged over the past four years. What is the relevance of four years ago? Everyone is in a better position now, on and off the field.

The Heartland competition will comprise 10 teams. Promotion relegation of up to two teams is an option being considered.

The changes were adopted after a series of workshops involving New Zealand's 26 provincial unions, Super 14 franchises and the New Zealand Rugby Players Association.

The main reasons for change given by NZRU chairman Jock Hobbs were that the current format was not financially sustainable and the competition could not be completed in a reduced playing window next year.

However, all the unions we spoke to say they would be financially sustainable with a lower salary cap.

Tasman Rugby Union chief executive Peter Barr is adamant that the current 14 team format should stay, but thinks the salary cap should be lowered from $2.2 million to $800,000. He said the biggest problem under the current salary cap was that players at the lower end of the ability scale were getting paid too much.

As for the issue of not being able to fit a 14-team competition into an abbreviated window, Barr said, "That was agreed by all provincial unions and I didn't have a problem with that. That's long enough for rugby. The only way we could accommodate 14 teams is to play midweek games. Big unions didn't want that."

Hawke's Bay and former Marlborough chief executive Mike Bishop feels there is no logic to the competition changes and doesn't see how the NZRU can boot teams out who have spent huge amounts of money on infrastructure to play in the ANZC. He doesn't believe promotion relegation will be automatic and can't see how a Heartland team or any team in the second tier would get back up to premier division and be competitive once demoted.

Bishop said the excitement generated in Hawke's Bay over the past three years because of what the ANZC has done is something to behold. He is sure a way can be found to accommodate 14 teams in the required window.

Northland Rugby Union chairman Andrew Golightly, like Barr, knows what it feels like to be kicked out of the top division, as both were last year until the NZRU did an about turn and reinstated them.

Golightly said his union was always of the view that 14 teams was the preference and his union could sustain itself financially. He said if Northland was relegated, it would impact on them financially, although he's not sure how badly.

With Super rugby expanding, bigger squads would be needed and Golightly said teams such as Northland developed players for that. He also doesn't see how a meaningful second-division competition would work if four teams were demoted.

Manawatu chief executive John Knowles has no doubts about his province's ability to foot it under the current format, but would like to see the All Blacks taken out of the competition.

Southland chief executive Roger Clark insisted that Southland was sustainable under the current format and if the salary cap was lowered, they would be even better off. He doesn't think mid-week games would be accepted by the players' association, but would like to see the status quo remain as long as unions were financial viable.

Clark pointed to all the good emerging talent being produced by the likes of Tasman and Manawatu. "From a purely rugby perspective, it doesn't seem to be broken at the moment."

Counties Manukau chief Phil McConnell said his union was never in favour of changing the current format and he doesn't believe the proposed second division will be a meaningful competition.

Bay of Plenty chief Jeremy Curragh said his union was now living within its means and believed there was an obligation for unions to do that. He would love to see 14 teams remain in the ANZC and acknowledged this is a fantastic competition, but felt the NZRU cannot afford that many teams taking part. "We are doing everything we can to stay in the top 10."

NZRU rugby manager Neil Sorensen said the biggest problem with the current 14 team format was fitting it into the shortened window. He said the expanded Super competition has taken up the space, and a 10 team format was the only way they can achieve everything the non-Super 14 unions wanted. The NZRU is working on trying to get the salary cap lowered, Sorensen agreeing that about $800,000 would be ideal if they could achieve that.

He said the NZRU had to make the division one (below premier) competition work and were currently working on an affordable player payment model alongside the players' association.

Sorensen insisted players would not lose money if their team was dropped out of premier division and it would not hinder their chances of higher honours.

Just when New Zealand rugby needed a boost of interest and enthusiasm, they've got it in the form of the ANZC. Why would the NZRU now want to change it again and risk alienating supporters? Come to think of it, why did they change the old three-division NPC format in the first place in 2006?

- The Marlborough Express