It's all bad News over NZ cup plan
Greg Ford
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Rupert Murdoch's News Ltd last night crash-tackled All Blacks coach Graham Henry's master plan to win the World Cup. News Ltd has threatened legal action over Henry's plan to rest players from the Super 14 competition next year.
News Ltd claims the New Zealand Rugby Union's decision to rest 22 All Blacks from the first seven weeks of the Super 14 is a breach of its TV broadcasting contract.
Murdoch's organisation criticised the plan last week, but the relationship appears to have deteriorated since then, with News Ltd corporate affairs director Greg Baxter slamming the NZRU.
"It's black and white," Baxter said. "Standing down All Blacks [for the Super 14] is a breach of contract. We were not even consulted and we are not happy about it."
News Ltd paid the southern hemisphere partnership - South Africa, New Zealand and Australia (SANZAR) - $664 million to broadcast the Super 14 and Tri Nations for the five years until 2010. It's money that keeps NZ rugby afloat.
When NZRU chief executive Chris Moller announced the controversial decision, he said all relevant stakeholders had been consulted. It's apparent Moller didn't call the biggest stakeholder in the business.
Speaking from Pretoria last night, Moller defended that decision: "We've taken legal advice to make sure our situation is the correct one.
"The obligation is to make sure the pre-eminent players are available.
"Through the All Blacks' rotation policy we have been playing other players and we didn't go to News in respect to that. We take the view it's not a dissimilar exercise."
News Ltd, clearly, disagrees.
"I don't think [Moller's] logic stacks up at all," Baxter said.
"Obviously he has got his own advice and we don't know all the detail of what that advice is. It is privileged to them and we don't want to get into a legal fight with them. But if he thinks he's under no obligation, he's wrong. It's that simple."
A legal stoush, pitting the NZRU against Murdoch's corporate muscle, would be disastrous for NZ rugby.