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NZRU CEO Steve Tew - Source: Photosport -
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New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) chairman Jock Hobbs has admitted head office communication with the provincial unions has to improve in light of a letter from nine of them expressing grave concerns over the national union's motives.
The letter from the so-called "G9" unions aired worries an expanded Super rugby competition will further devalue the provincial Air NZ Cup.
Hobbs and NZRU chief executive Steve Tew were involved in earnest discussions with the disaffected unions at Thursday's NZRU annual meeting in Wellington.
While admitting communication woes, Hobbs said the parties had the same interests at heart.
"The principles they have set out that they want to see in the domestic competitions we largely agree with, we are actually on the same page," Hobbs said.
"We are standing in a boxing ring and there is no need to swing. We just need to talk about it," he said during a break in discussions.
The G9, comprising the Counties-Manukau, Bay of Plenty, Northland, Tasman, Southland, North Harbour, Taranaki, Manawatu and Hawke's Bay unions, wrote a four-page letter to the NZRU, questioned the motives of the national union, and said it was putting "revenue, the broadcasters and the players' association" before the good of the game.
Diminishing New Zealand crowds in this year's Super 14 "clearly illustrates that Super rugby is a tired concept," the letter said.
"The group is concerned that if NZRU dumb down the ANZC (Air NZ Cup competition) as reflected in the financial modelling produced to date then rugby in New Zealand, as we currently know it, will be stuffed by the 2019 World Cup," the letter said.
Hobbs said the G9's major concern centred on the Air NZ Cup and he had assured them that, notwithstanding any discussions or decisions to be made over Super rugby, that the NZRU wanted the Cup to be a sustainable, quality competition.
Asked whether he had given assurances that Super 14 players would always be part of the Air NZ Cup, Hobbs replied "that is certainly our intention and always has been".
Hobbs said the NZRU had tried hard to make its position clear, with working parties for each competition, franchise reviews, Tew's monthly discussions with the 26 union provincial chief executives, quarterly provincial union chairmen meetings and regular letters.
"There is a lot of communication, not all of it seems to be effective. We will have a look at that and see if we can do it better and we will try to do it better."
Tew said one of the difficulties was that the Sanzar negotiations for the Super competition was such a public debate and with the differences between the parties it was "hard to keep everyone on the same page every week. But we have to try harder to do it".
