Gregor Paul: New Zealand Rugby’s giant failure in Ruby Tui Weet-Bix sponsor saga

Ruby Tui. Photo / Photosport

OPINION:

Ruby Tui’s decision to not be part of this year’s historic Weet-Bix Stat Attack collection has turned what should have been a breakthrough moment for the Black Ferns into what will inevitably become a battle between player and employer to win public approval for their actions.

But no matter how this eventually plays out in the court of public opinion, there will be no winners.

There never could be given the protagonists – a sponsor owned by the Seventh-day Adventist church, a national rugby union with a naturally conservative bent and an uninhibited female rugby star with a determination to use her profile to advocate for societal change.

Some would argue that this disparate mix was destined to ignite conflict, foster disharmony and split opinion as to whether Tui, NZR or both were in the wrong.

What is mostly agreed by those with knowledge of what happened late last year when Tui asked if she could adorn her Weet-Bix Stat Attack card with a rainbow flag, is that Sanitarium, the owners of the series, was willing to discuss the idea.

It was NZR that said no to the card featuring a rainbow flag, using its fear of setting a precedent as the reason.

Saying yes to a rainbow flag would potentially then see NZR inundated with requests to accommodate some kind of symbolism of causes dear to other players.

The national body didn’t want to become the moral adjudicator having to determine whether it was okay for one player to use their card to save the whales, but not for another to feature a Ukrainian flag.

The argument is understandable, but it’s also flawed on the basis that NZR would be in no way compelled to grant every player the same rights.

Professionalism has brought a new world where NZR may well try to say that everyone is born equal, but it has long been apparent some are more equal than others.

Exceptions get made all the time for those players who are identified as critical to the national cause.

Dan Carter was afforded a six-month, massively paid sabbatical in Europe back in 2009. If Stephen Donald had knocked on NZR’s door demanding that he too should be extended the same deal, he’d have been laughed out of town.

And let’s be honest, if Richie McCaw had said he wanted to wear rainbow socks throughout the 2011 World Cup or he wouldn’t play, he’d have been granted permission to do so.

The big names have star power and leverage, and unquestionably Tui is blockbuster material having effectively done for the Black Ferns in 2022 what Jonah Lomu did for the All Blacks in 1995.

She’s the undisputed darling of the women’s game - fun, honest, authentic and the sort of player and personality that can inspire girls across New Zealand to take up rugby.

Her value to NZR is such that the risk of not allowing her to feature a rainbow flag far outweighed the potential damage of saying no.

Ruby Tui will not be appearing on the Weet-Bix Stat Attack cards. Photo / Getty, Herald design

While NZR doesn’t want to be a moral guardian, having to determine where the line should sit in regard to acceptable player associations, it has made its own commitment to the rainbow community and set itself up as a champion of diversity and inclusion.

Given the alignment, and the certainty that Tui was promoting a priority value of her employer, why not sanction her desire to have a rainbow flag on her card and harness her profile and energy in driving something that matters to both parties.

That Tui chose not to take part in the promotion once it became clear she would have to battle to win her rainbow flag, is indicative of her commitment to the cause, but so too does it suggest an element of overreach.

The upshot of her not taking part is kids will be disappointed there is no Ruby Tui card in the collection, and instead of the historic Black Ferns series being celebrated, it is now being overshadowed by her decision to make the rainbow flag a hill on which she was metaphorically prepared to die.

There are times when playing the long game is the smarter call and perhaps Tui could have privately expressed her disappointment at the decision to block the rainbow flag, and then agree to take part in 2023 on the condition that a solution is worked on for 2024 to enable her and other players to express their support for causes in which they believe.

But ultimately what this Stat Attack saga represents is a giant failure in NZR’s communication strategy – something that is plaguing its ability to function without controversy.

NZR has known for months now that this historic series of cards would be published without Tui featuring and that questions would be asked about why she wasn’t included.

So why not proactively let the public know ahead of time? Most reasonable observers understand the complexity of the interaction between commercial arrangements and player advocacy, and NZR could have pre-empted this story breaking by publicly talking about why they couldn’t accommodate Tui’s wishes this year, but that they are working on ways to do so in 2024.

Instead, they saw the iceberg coming and sat mutely hoping it would miss the good ship NZR, which was never going to happen, and once again it is in crisis mode, trying to limit the damage of a frankly baffling communication strategy.