New Zealand rugby could be badly damaged as a world force unless it gets a "fairer" slice of the money generated by the All Blacks.
That was the claim from New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive David Rutherford in Wellington yesterday. He suggested that the power of the AllBlacks was being used against New Zealand rugby, which operated in a smaller financial market and population, and the NZRFU were ready to battle for a change. Other countries were making huge money through television deals and gate-takings on the back of the All Blacks' pulling power, while the NZRFU were missing out.
"We don't want to wake up one day and find we're the little guy," Rutherford said.
Traditionally, the travelling team pay to get to the host country while the host pay all internal costs and keeps gate and television revenues. Rutherford said other countries had far larger stadiums, and the big television audiences were in the Northern Hemisphere time zone. This meant the NZRFU were not getting value for the big audiences the All Blacks pulled, and needed more money to develop the game and keep top players and coaches.
New Zealand, Australia and South Africa have an equal share of the $US550 million ($1.2 billion) deal Sanzar has with News Corp, under which tri-nations games are played.
Rutherford suggested the NZRFU were not even happy with that and might use their partners' desire to increase the number of Super 12 teams as a bargaining tool, pointing out that many more people watched the All Blacks than world champions Australia play in France last year.
