New Zealand’s rugby chiefs on Tuesday fended off claims for compensation from media giant News Corp over their decision to withdraw 22 leading All Blacks from the early rounds of next year’s Super 14 competition.
All Black coach Graham Henry says the decision to withdraw the players from the first seven rounds of the Super 14 is important to allow the players to do physical conditioning work ahead of next year’s World Cup in France.
The conditioning plan and Henry’s policy of rotating players to build a bigger pool of Test players are part of his attempt to take the All Blacks to their first World Cup victory since the inaugural event in 1987.
News Corp claims the move will rob the competition of some of its major stars and wants a discount on its $418-million contract with South African, New Zealand and Australian Rugby to screen the competition on its pay television channels.
New Zealand Rugby Union chairperson Jock Hobbs told the New Zealand Press Association on Tuesday he did not believe the move breached the contract with News Corp’s Australian arm News Ltd.
Hobbs met News Ltd boss Peter Macourt in Sydney last Friday and has since sent the company a list of the 22 players who will be missing when the competition gets under way in February.
”I don’t believe compensation is an issue though we need to continue to talk with News Ltd. It’s vital [the conditioning programme] takes place and we’re confident it will,” Hobbs said.
The 22 players named include most of the leading All Blacks, with the notable exceptions of wingers Doug Howlett and Rico Gear and utility back Luke McAlister.
But this was no reflection on the prospects of the players for the World Cup, Henry said, saying Howlett and Gear were capable of running their own conditioning programme.
He told reporters McAlister also needed more game time with his Auckland Blues Super 14 side early next year.
”Luke has had a lot of injuries, he needs to play, he needs to run the Blues, that’s part of his development,” he said. — AFP
