Silver Lake standoff: Former All Blacks coach Sir Steve Hansen breaks silence on NZ Rugby's dispute with Players' Association

All Blacks coaching legend Sir Steve Hansen has called on rugby's warring parties to quit their public spat.

Hansen wants New Zealand Rugby and the New Zealand Rugby Players' Association to sort out the dispute over the Silver Lake deal behind closed doors.

"I just wish they would stop airing all their dirty laundry in public, and sit down and get together and talk about it," Stuff reported Hansen as saying.

"There's no point in arguing with each other publicly. Get everybody in the room and say 'okay, let's sort it out'.

"The players are only sticking up for what they believe in, so you have got to give them a tick.

"And the rugby union are trying to get some extra money in the game, so you have got to give them a tick."

Hansen encouraged NZR to consider the alternative proposal put forward by Forsyth Barr at the request of the NZRPA, in which a five percent stake of the rugby governing body would be sold to the New Zealand public by way of an initial public offering on the NZX.

The proposal suggested the stake could be sold to investors for $170m-$190m, valuing NZR at between $3.4 billion and $3.8b, above the $3.1b valuation implied by the proposed deal with Silver Lake, which is seeking to buy a 12.5 per cent stake in its commercial revenues for $387.5m.

The players are opposed to the Silver Lake deal, although the 26 New Zealand unions and the NZ Māori Rugby Board have backed it.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen. Photo / Photosport

Hansen said: "Get everyone in a room – and actually listen to each other. They have got to be better than that.

"The board has to listen to the players. And they don't need to be doing it in the front part of the house."

NZ Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson has cast doubt on whether the Forsyth Barr deal meets its objectives.

But he has invited players' association chairman David Kirk and Forsyth Barr to meet with NZR steering group on Friday.

All Blacks great Richie McCaw has also urged NZR to consider the Forsyth Barr deal. His former teammate Conrad Smith urged more discussion on the idea.

Hansen said he hoped NZR would allow the players' association to present their alternative view.

"Clearly one party doesn't feel like they are being listened to.

"If that's the case, then you are going to have people who are going to be grumpy.

"Everyone needs to change their attitude a bit, and go 'we are in this together and let's sort out the best possible thing we can do for New Zealand rugby'.

"And that is all everybody really wants."