Rugby: All Blacks face car jam

Piri Weepu takes fellow All Black Rico Gear for a drive. Photo / Getty Images

A sponsorship snag will have All Blacks jumping in and out of different cars over the next year.

When Ford pulled out of its current deal at the end of the '09 season, the New Zealand Rugby Union encouraged its franchises to seek their own vehicle sponsors, armed with the knowledge that the national body was about to sign off on a deal with Hyundai for the All Blacks.

Two franchises - the Crusaders and Blues - signed deals with local Hyundai dealerships, while a third, the Chiefs, signed up with Hamilton Holden dealer, Ebbett.

However the NZRU's expected deal with Hyundai fell through at the 11th hour and Ford, whose interest was suddenly re-awakened, has stepped back into the breach to support the All Blacks.

That scenario will almost certainly see All Blacks from those franchises, including Richie McCaw and Dan Carter at the Crusaders, flip-flopping between car brands to satisfy sponsors.

One franchise source told this newspaper that while they never felt they had been "sold down the river" by the national body, by the time Ford came back on board it was far too late to extract themselves from their deal.

Crusaders' players have already been issued with their cars but the most ironic situation is at the Chiefs where, for the Super 14 season at least, All Blacks will be driving around in Holdens, Ford's main rival in the big car market.

"The theory behind that can be challenging," said Stuart Robb, NZRU's general manager commercial and finance.

"But we'll continue discussions with Ford and we will definitely see All Blacks in Fords during the All Black season and address any potential difficulties as they happen."

Perhaps the biggest "potential difficulty" is the fact the Super 14 teams no longer have a front of jersey sponsor, the most valuable piece of marketing 'real estate' in New Zealand sport given that the All Blacks, aside from the apparel logo, wear cleanskins.

Ford has been the Super 14 jersey sponsor since the inception of Super rugby in 1996 and it was widely expected that Hyundai would take over that role. However, with the NZRU's negotiations with the Korean car manufacturer falling over, there is a big hole where the NZRU would like a blazing logo to be.

"We have no solution to the front of jersey problem yet," admitted Robb.

"We would like one ASAP really. We still think it is a great opportunity for [companies]."

The franchises are not allowed to sell the spot themselves though some would no doubt like to. One of the reasons for this would be the discrepancy between franchises. It would be far easier, for example, for the Crusaders, with their rich legacy, to go to the marketplace than, say, the Highlanders.

At this stage the NZRU would like to keep the franchises on an even keel as far as this potential revenue stream is concerned.