New Zealand remains angry with Australia over its decision to back Japan for the 2011 Rugby World Cup despite the resignation of Australian chairman Dilip Kumar over the dispute.
The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) said on Thursday Kumar would step down in an attempt to mend relations with the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU), which was furious after the ARU decided not to back its neighbour in its ultimately successful bid for the 2011 hosting rights.
But in a terse statement Friday NZRU chairman Jock Hobbs said the resignation had changed nothing.
”Despite some previous media comment, our concern was that the ARU Board chose to support Japan in the RWC 2011 vote, so from that perspective, the resignation of Mr Kumar does not change our position nor alleviate our concerns about the ARUs decision,” Hobbs said.
The ARU said Australia stood by its decision to support Japan’s bid, but Kumar decided to step down to ensure a smooth transition when the ARU takes over the secretariat of Sanzar (South African, New Zealand and Australian Rugby) in 2006.
It said there had been ”unwarranted personal criticism” of Kumar after the decision to support Japan.
Former Wallaby Ron Graham, who played 18 Tests for Australia in the 1970s as a front rower, was Friday elected to replace Kumar and said he was ready to put the dispute behind him.
”The ARU has moved on from this issue and will offer the New Zealand Rugby Union every assistance towards staging a successful event,” he said in a statement.
The relationship between the Super 14 playing nations was ”mature enough for us all to focus on our mutually beneficial goals,” he added.
Australia and New Zealand’s relations have generally been good in the past but were also strained over the 2003 World Cup when New Zealand had to drop out of a joint bid due to problems over advertising and sponsorship at stadiums.
The latest controversy comes after Wallabies coach Eddie Jones was sacked last week after Australia lost eight of their last nine internationals, including a sequence of seven successive defeats — the nation’s worst run of defeats in 36 years.
His replacement has yet to be named. ‒ Sapa-AFP