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The welfare factor of the Moana Pasfika v Māori All Blacks match has not lasted long, and New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson indicated that “a lot of work” needed to be done before Moana Pasifika and / or Fiji are included in the Super Rugby in 2022..
The NZ Rugby board met on Wednesday to discuss a variety of topics, including the future of Super Rugby, and Robinson’s update to the media on Thursday was something of a reality check for those hoping the two potential new Super Rugby teams quickly get the green light.
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New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson left with his Australian counterpart Rob Clarke last month.
“There is still a lot of work to be done in that area,” Robinson said.
“We are very committed to doing our best to see if we can make those teams a reality, but there is a lot of work to be done, and we are all well aware of the potential challenges in this area to achieve it. happen.
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“But it is certainly something that we are very committed to investing a lot of our people’s time and energy to make sure we can give the best chance to make it work.”
NZ Rugby’s unwillingness to give anything like an inclusion guarantee will raise the alert levels of those involved in Pasifika rugby, who were already desperately disappointed that the Moana Pasifika team could not be included in next year’s competition. .
But it also reflects the complexity of the task at hand, with Robinson suggesting the rosters and facilities were still in the “potential” stage.
Phil Walter / Getty Images
Pita Gus Sowakula of Moana Pasifika is tackled during the match between Moana Pasifika and the Māori All Blacks last weekend.
“By [Super Rugby] In 2022 we had an update at the board on how the shape of the competition is starting to look, ”said Robinson.
“Obviously there is a lot of speculation and interest in the possibility of new teams being added to that competition.
“Therefore, we provide an update of where both preferred partners [Moana Pasifika and Fiji] they’re coming up with, in terms of their feasibility work, their business model, different ideas that they have about how they’ll be structured …[and] potential lists and potential facilities “.
The brutal reality of Moana Pasifika is that many of the players involved in the game against the Māori All Blacks are already signed by Super Rugby teams, who have little desire to see their own rosters weakened.
Phil Walter / Getty Images
Michael Alaalatoa sets up the Moana Pasifika challenge before the Māori All Blacks game.
Rising stars like No.9 Highlanders Folau Fakatava could also entertain the All Blacks’ ambitions and see their future in black rather than the red, blue and white of Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.
There is no shortage of coaching talent available, but putting together a playlist that is immediately competitive will be quite a challenge, with a prominent Super Rugby source saying Things who feared that one-sided games against one side of Pasifika in battle could damage the reputation of the competition.
On the other side of the argument, NZRPA CEO Rob Nchol has told Stuff that Pasifika’s talent is there to establish a credible team in 2022.
Andrew Milligan / AP
Fijian star Nemani Nadolo scores against Georgia in the Fall Nations Cup last weekend.
Stuff has also been told that Fiji’s failed bid for the listing of Super Rugby in 2018 was based on a cleverly crafted document that masks some underlying weaknesses.
There were funding concerns (Super Rugby teams currently spend around $ 10 million a year) the cost of broadcasting matches from Fiji and the willingness of Fiji’s star players to forgo major deals in Europe to go home to the islands.
The Fiji Drua team was successful in the Australian National Rugby Championship, but it was thought that it could take at least two years to catch up in Super Rugby.
