Moller stands firm on Super 14 player withdrawals

Chris Moller

PRETORIA - New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) chief executive Chris Moller is unrepentant about withdrawing leading All Blacks from next year's Super 14 competition and bemused that News Ltd has publicly voiced its displeasure.

News Ltd corporate affairs director Greg Baxter told Sydney's Daily Telegraph this week it was "very disappointed" at the lack of NZRU consultation over the decision and hinted there could be financial sanctions.

News Ltd has a five-year broadcasting rights deal with the three Sanzar rugby unions until 2010, worth more than $660 million.

Moller, who arrived in Pretoria today to watch the All Blacks play the Springboks in Sunday's (NZT) Tri-Nations test, said there would be further discussions but it was unlikely the NZRU would back down.

"Our advice is, from a legal perspective, obtained by Sanzar and by the NZRU independently, is that we're fully entitled to do what we've announced we're going to do," Moller told NZPA.

"The players can't go smashing their bodies in the game as we know it today, without some time away from it.

"That's one of the key points that the New Zealand Rugby Players Association has been making.

"This time out of the game, from a physical and mental point of view, has to occur."

The NZRU announced last Sunday that the leading 22 All Blacks would miss the first seven rounds of next year's Super 14 to have them in peak condition for the World Cup in France at the end of the year.

Baxter said if the best players weren't going to be available for a major portion of a competition, then "that would be of concern to us as the broadcast rights holder".

"We'd be wanting to discuss with the NZRU and, I guess through Sanzar, arrangements for compensation or things like that," Baxter was quoted as saying.

"We are not happy with these developments."

Moller said he took a telephone call from News Ltd's second-in-command, chief operating officer Peter Macourt, last Tuesday.

There was no mention of potential financial sanctions such as withholding broadcasting money, with Macourt saying he wanted to discuss it further at Sanzar level.

"If they're raising the issue (of financial sanctions) then we'll need to talk that through," Moller said.

Moller said the NZRU hadn't informed News Ltd of its plans, but similarly hadn't given prior notice of coach Graham Henry's player rotation policy which saw him change his entire starting 15 between the Wales and Ireland tests last November. That drew no complaints from News Ltd.

The NZRU were in regular discussion with New Zealand television rights holder Sky about its Super 14 plans, and the issue was discussed at a recent broadcasters conference in Brisbane.

"It's not as if it hasn't been in the public domain for a considerable period of time, so I'm a bit surprised that people weren't aware of these plans," Moller said.

The NZRU told its Australian and South African counterparts of its plans at a Sanzar meeting in Brisbane at the end of last month.

Moller said the Australian and South African unions would like to follow a "similar" approach with resting their players next year, but he was unsure to what extent.

Meanwhile, reports that News Ltd would insist on two extra Tri-Nations tests in 2008 to make up for the shortened competition next year due to the World Cup met a muted response today.

Henry was unimpressed at the thought of playing eight Tri-Nations tests in one year.

"I guess that's a News Ltd executive talking. I don't know if there's been any consultation on that," Henry said.

"That would be horrendous I think, a major challenge for teams. But I guess anything's possible and it needs to be discussed."

- NZPA