Rebels3
Jim Lenehan (48)
Latest party to slam NZR is the NZ players association, their representative sums up the issue perfectly.Well I think you will find that is what is wanted by both unions and both have said it, but there are a couple of major reasons why it can't be put in place now. 1; RA don't know how many teams they can afford to run (or so Hamish McLennan says), 2; and most importantly I think NZR has learnt not to say there will be a comp involving Aus teams, because of what happened earlier, you know everyone saying how dare they come up with a comp without RA being involved. So tell me why don't you think RA are being cockheads for announcing the same thing. I believe it is what will happen, will be best for both countries, but at the moment nothing can really be announced because noone knows how many teams etc RA are wanting to put forward , or if they in fact what comp they want to be in.
~ What we don't want is someone trying to be the kingmaker in this situation. As soon as someone feels they're in a position to dictate, a whole lot of other people want to take them down.
"We have five teams and a commercial market that's smaller than New South Wales. Australia comes with assets. They come with experience, and legacy. Respect that legacy and work with them. This business of an eight-team competition with three new teams, we don't get that.
"From our perspective you don't go out with another option until you've exhausted the logical one which is working with Australia and the Pacific Islands to form something across trans-Tasman Pacific.
"If you're Australia, you're asking 'what have we done wrong?'
"Why would you have a competition that involves the Western Force and not New South Wales, Queensland and the Brumbies? That splits Australian rugby. New Zealand players, we don't want to be part of that. Not unless it's an absolute last resort. It's not our starting point.” ~
This is the issue everyone has, it’s got nothing to do with NZ creating their own comp, but they’re making decisions or trying to make decisions on behalf of everyone else. They are trying to dictate decisions in Australia and the Pacific on behalf of themselves and not Australia and the Pacific.
So that’s their 3 most important partners that have slammed them in the recent past
- Australia
- South Africa
- their own players association
Then add today’s release from Pacific players association about the lack of transparency on the process and the strangeness of it. They are at risk of alienating everyone, if things continue it wouldn’t surprise me to see whoever is in charge start to be worried about their future soon as he’s burning so many bridges.