Save our teams

There is a campaing in favour of the four "condemned" teams that are going to be cut from the Air New Zealand Cup.

These teams, independently from their performance are thought to be:

• Northland,
• Counties Manukau,
• Manawatu,
• Tasman.

From now on, I will support the Makos in their Air New Zealand Cup campaign and in their fight to survive the axe.

Here's the website: http://www.saveourteams.co.nz

I don't know if the NZRU is right or wrong, I don't know if 4 teams, 2 teams, 1 team or no team at all need to get out of the way, but I cannot help but feel sorry for a team that is performing as well as Tasman is performing and by no means I'd like to see them axed. NZRU must be certainly afraid of Otago and Auckland performing poorly if they don't dare to take the decission on axing exclusively according to each teams performance.

Go Tasman!! Go Makos!!

Injured 2009 or crisis in NZRU?

1. Daniel Carter injured, out for most of the season
2. Ali Williams injured, out for most of the season
3. Richie McCaw's injuries have not let him play four games in a row
4. The same goes for Brendon Leonard, Sitiveni Sivivatu and Conrad Smith
5. Awful start to the international campaign with horror games against France and Italy
6. Christchurch not able to fill the stadium to see the All Blacks
7. Major injuries to Corry Flynn, Casey Laulala, Richard Kahui
8. Super 14 lost
9. Tri Nations lost even before it has started.

Is all that enough to start frightening? Is 2009 a year of bad luck? A year in which NZRU has to check if everything is going in the right direction?

Amidst all, Graham Henry seeks his re-election until 2011

Sonny Bill Williams (again)

So, now it seems Sonny Bill Williams is playing tricks to get a chance to play the 2011 RWC.
When Sonny Bill Williams says he is elligible to play for Australia, is he putting pressure on NZRU to sign him? is he desperate for someone to hire him? is he doing both things?

When asked about Sonny Bill Williams helping injury concerns in the All Blacks camp (Kahui needing surgery and Smith out to a hamstring) Graham Henry laughed.

Is NZRU keen to sign Sonny Bill Williams? Is Sonny Bill Williams asking too much money? Is it fair for people like, say, So'oailo or Muliaina, commited to the NZRU despite lucrative offshore offers that a youngster with as much talent as things to prove in this new code could surpass what they earn?

All in all, it's down to the same thing, the cruel and vile gold, which was exactly what rugby sold its soul for, wasn' t it?

NZRU: How to destroy a franchise

Say you have the most successful franchise in history. Say that, for whatever reason, you want to destroy it. What steps would you take?

First, the coach should leave. Leave no chance to your coach to stay in your franchise.

Second, give your star player a year off.

Third, cut one of the two provincial unions that feed this franchise off so you drain the flow of players into the franchise.

Can Canterbury face Wellington, Taranaki, Manawatu and Hawkes Bay at the same time? I guess next season I will be cheering the Crusaders more than ever.

On Sonny Bill Williams

Even if you are not a NRL expert you may still have once or twice the name of Sonny Bill Williams two months ago when NZRU had an eye on him when he was considering a change of codes.

Now, I don't know what part has the NZRU played in the late decisions this 23 yo guy has taken, but I would not be surprised if they were tuiting the convert. Putting him under Tana Umaga's orders is not such a bad move.

Everything would be fine in the NZRU considering a "special project" for this guy, should he not have broken a NRL contract. The truth is that this guy has already started Toulon' pre-season where, funnily, he's been sinbinned due to a charge.

Today the boy says he's eyeing 2011 RWC and he's also willing to become the best centre in the world so... who could say NZRU is not behind all this mess?

Now understand what I mean: I don't care if league disappears. I just don't like league, but as long as a player has a contract, he should respect it. I don't like rugby players breaking their contracts for more profitable ones, either. It is interesting what he has said about the matter: Why can I as an IT professional break my contract but he as a professional sportsman cannot? The difference is in the contract. How many IT professionals are and how many professional league players are there? That is paid in €, AU$ or pounds and he has earned them.

SBW is eyeing money and All Blacks glory at the RWC 2011 and the NZRU is desperately looking forward to end this RWC draught so... who could think they are not partners?

Players ain't guilty

If anyone has any doubts about the real reasons for people like Evans and Collins not to have been selected for the All Blacks squad this year, go and see Henry talking and the players answering.

They have been left out because they are seen as traitors.

It is funny that so many players during last RWC (Chris Jack, Luke McAlister, Doug Howlett, Aaron Mauger, Byron Kelleher, Carl Hayman...) were nowhere near of being treated the unpolite way that Collins and Evans have been treated and it is also funny to see that the "beautiful girl" Dan Carter has not been treated this way (maybe the decission of not unfolding his close future yet was even suggested by the NZRU to let Henry select him for the All Blacks)

So, Evans is a traitor and deserves no All Black jersey and so it seems happens with Collins. This message of strength that the All Black selectors are sending... is this the right way to proceed? I mean, are the players guilty of trying to make the most of their time-limited career? Is it greed or common-sense or a player like Evans heading to England?

I am the first one that hates seeing the best kiwi players playing for english clubs. I damn hate it. I hate it more than anything. But.. Is Henry right when he puts on the brave face and rules these "traitors"? Who's responsible for New Zealand rugby not offering competitive salaries? Are the players responsible?

I can remember Robbie Deans advising Carter to do what is best for him... Who would not? When you truly appreciate someone you want this someone to do what is best for him... But it seems NZRU wants players to stay despite the players' own ideas of what is best for them.

I am going to miss Nick Evans more than most will. But I understand him and maybe it is now or never.

So sorry, Henry and NZRU, but players ain't guilty.

New Zealand: 100 years coming to an end

Whoever doubts that New Zealand has been the dominant power in the world of rugby for the last 100 years, either he believes rugby is played with 13 men or is a Springbok.

In fact, only the strongest South Africa has been able to stop the All Black machine of rugby, being the Springboks/All Blacks tours the most intense that this game has witnessed.

Please, do forget the Northern Hemisphere.

But it happens everywhere. Ford was the everything in the world of automakers until the decade of the thirties, where so many changes in the industry saw a new giant best prepared to become the world leader (no other than GM, who, 70 years later, was also banquished when it was not strong enough to compete). Take Microsoft, the world leader was innovative but at the end died of success when a new kid on the block, Google, was healthier and ready to face the changes the industry needed.

Now come back to New Zealand. New Zealand have got the strongest rugby culture in the world. Their love for rugby is immense, and their have been the world power while rugby has been an amatheur issue, and also during the first and a half decade of professionalism, when the NZRU has been able to retain kiwi players at home.

The idea was that rugby in New Zealand was a home issue, and the best players of this secret world were shown abroad during tests and no one could match them.

Now players are not playing at home anymore: McAlister, Howlett, Jack, Hayman, Mauger, Rush, Marshall, Gear, Kelleher... are already gone. Evans, Flavell, Nacewa will. Collins, Carter, Tu'uiali most likely.


And NZRU cannot keep them at home any longer. Rugby has changed. Definately and forever. Provincial championships will no longer sustain the game. Privatised franchises will have to arise and the game become a business like business is football or basketball. Who shall rule then? When the Internet appeared, no one was greater than Microsoft and, even so, they fell to Google. Why? Because they were not flexible enough to adapt. With size often comes resilience to change. And the surname of adaptation is change.

Will New Zealand be adaptable enough to face the changes after 100 years of being the best?

He's gone

He's packed and he leaves for three years. To play with the Quins. He's better than they deserve.

The problem arises when you read that his contract is for three years. What will happen at the RWC 2011? By that time, he'll already be 34, and many things will have changed (I'm sure). Perhaps the NZRU will have agreed to let the players abroad play with the All Black jersey by that time.

Perhaps the RWC will not be it all in the rugby world.

Perhaps.

You cannot play in the All Blacks if you don't play the Super 14...

...unless your name starts with "D" and ends with "an Carter".

Or so it seems the NZRU is willing to do. NZRU would be relaxing its policy to gain the All Black jersey. They would accept a player who's played a year abroad. Does it makes any sense to you?

Just watch it here.

I think this is a shy step and the full step will be taken sooner or later.

Independent review of the World Cup.

Much has been said about the revision of the New Zealand World Cup campaign. Blames have been like knifes, thrown here and there to any unwarded back.

Our dear friends at RugbyHeaven ask why the World Cup revision has been published only after 6 months are past and the new coach is already appointed. I wonder if this terrible timing would have been so harshly criticised by them with Robbie Deans coaching the All Blacks. Richie McCaw has also been blamed of lack of leadership (again).

I have not paid much attention to any of these comments but I want to talk about the last one, appeared again within the articles of RugbyHeaven, by an ex All-Blacks coach, Laurie Mains.

Laurie Mains is surgerily right when he says that such revision cannot seriously focus only on 10 minutes of a match. NZRU should not be pleased with such a simple analysis. I mean, just remember the infamous article: "France pose absolutely no threat to the All Blacks". Even if the All Blacks would have won that match via a drop goal, it became clear that France certainly posed a kind of threat. The question after Laurie Mains article is: How did the All Blacks manage to perform worse than ever? This has not been answered yet. Laurie also asks loudly for the apparent lack of independence in a so-called independent review. Why no ex All Black coaches were asked to give their opinions?

All in all, it seems certain that NZRU should put more effort in trying to be more open. Now I wonder... Why was Deans not chosen? Has it got to do with the different ways that Deans and Henry carry these things? Is Deans too open for the NZRU?

NZRU can't compete.

Carter's offer by the Stade Toulousain sums up to almost € 1 million per one year.

Dear Steve Tew... What if the players abroad could be elligible for the All Blacks?

Nacewa is the last name

We all knew that Nick Evans, Jerry Collins, Daniel Carter, Mose Tuiali'i... were all being chased by europeans clubs. Now it seems that Nacewa is the last name to an already long list of talented players who could head towards the Northern Hemisphere.

And the NZRU says they are going to fight this battle. The battle of Carter, they mean. They have even uttered words about a ight after some tunnel. Well, they NZRU should not be conservative at this point and adapt to the present time. On and on it seems that privatising the Super franchises is the only way to go to the battle, and besides, no one is really sure on what are the good things of not selecting players abroad to play with the Black jersey.

Either or you want to be professional or not. But this NZRU seems to be not wanting to make the full travel and remains somewhere in the middle of the two shores.

Wake up.

NZ Rugby future debated at Wellington

Provincial unions, super franchises, NZRU bosses... they will all debate the future of rugby in NZ for two days starting tomorrow (I mean, in a few hours).

To make it clear: The problem is money.

Audiences matter less. Provincial unions problems matter less. Even top players heading toward England and France can be substitued...

But the solution to every problem above (including audiences and attendances, of course) is money. That means it is a somewhat closed-loop situation.

Some say privatising super franchises would do. I doubt it would be enough. But anyway the future is in private hands, I fear.

Robbie Deans is open minded

Yesterday, we got to know Robbie Deans' opinion on the apparently taboo subject: A non new zealander to eventually coach the All Blacks. Robbie Deans seems a good pal, with no malice whatsoever, but I had the feeling that speaking too much about the politics of the NZRU shall not be appreciated in Oz.



The multitasked Crusaders coach expressed his view, very sensible, that the NZRU should (and thinks they have actually done) consider a foreigner for the job. Well, that is understandable provided he is the first Kiwi to coach the wallabies.

Today we have got to know more. He has stepped further on, saying that players of SA, NZ, AU should be able to play at any Super 14 franchise. Has he said too much? Will anyone accept it? Well, IMHO, that is quite common-sense, too! I don't think it should change things much, and, if it does at all, will undoubtedly be very smoothly. On the other hand, what is the good of binding the players to play a home Super 14 franchise? Deans' recipe would set the roots for expanding the Super 14 in a search for more investment to allow Souther Hemisphere players stay southern.

Robbie Deans is a guy that I am truly learning to respect and admire.

GRAHAM HENRY

I don't live in New Zealand (I could not live anywhere farther)

I am a huge All Blacks supporter as I discovered rugby when I saw their clear 29-9 defeat of France in 1987. I have followed them ever since.

It is hard to get "in touch" with what is going on there 20.000 Km away from Spain.

But I kind of feel happy for Graham Henry. I think the NZRU has been wise to reappoint him. World Cup isn't everything in rugby or it shouldn't be and he's a great coach and he has proved it.

I think that Robbie Deans deserved equally the chance to get the job (as many others) and it would be sad if he left the Crusaders.

But at some point you have to stop this four-year cycle of hiring a coach, believe you are invincible and come down to earth four years later thinking it was all the coach's fault. I don't know who will coach the All Blacks in 2011 (it could be Deans, you know) but at the moment, NZRU has sent a message of wisdom and we public ought to hear to it.