Sir John Kirwan's plea to the NZ government to hold international sporting events in NZ this year. Video / Sky Sport
Tense negotiations to bring the Rugby Championship to New Zealand were harpooned by the Government's unwillingness to negotiate — with officials making only one concession in almost three months.
This, and not "Sanzaar politics" as suggested by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, led to Australia being awarded the hosting rights to the tournament, says New Zealand Rugby chairman Brent Impey.
"This came down to the quarantine regulations being too restrictive for the championship," Impey told the Weekend Herald.
"The situation in New South Wales is that all teams have to undertake the 14 days quarantine period, during which they can train at full capacity while in quarantine.
"They'll need to have testing during and after the quarantine period, as well as having daily wellness examinations to make sure there are no signs of illness.
"A few months ago New Zealand was the only option. When you boil it all down [the lost bid] it's one thing. It's quarantine," Impey told Martin Devlin on Newstalk ZB.
Originally, government officials demanded that throughout the 14 days of lockdown after squads from South Africa, Australia and Argentina arrived in New Zealand, they would never train in groups bigger than 15 players.
After several meetings and phone calls, it was finally agreed that in the last six days of the 14 days in quarantine, the size of the training group could be increased from 15 to 25, Impey revealed.
"The New Zealand situation was that on days one to three there had to be individual isolation. Then, following a negative test, from days four to seven, they could form bubbles of 15 that can train inside the bubble. Then, after a second negative test, they could expand the bubble to 25 from days eight to 14. If there was a positive test, then it was all over.
"That's what the decision to go to Australia came down. The difference in quarantine regulations."
The trickledown effect of losing the Rugby Championship will rob venues throughout the country of the chance to host sold out crowds, while New Zealand's hospitality businesses can appreciate exactly why federal and state governments threw financial support behind Australia's pitch to largely stage the six-week, 12-match tournament in Sydney.
Australian rugby had reason to celebrate yesterday after earning hosting rights for the Rugby Championship. Photo / Getty
Impey today also said he was "grateful" to Minister for Sport, Grant Robertson, for the commercial side of the pitch to Sanzaar for the Rugby Championship hosting rights.
"In terms of the commercial side of it is excellent. Grant Robertson did a great job in putting up a commercial side to ensure this would happen," Impey said.
"We did our best, minister Robinson did his best."
New South Wales did also come up with substantial money for the event but in the final decision that was "immaterial", Impey said.
"When you boil it all down it's one thing. It's quarantine," he said.
Impey also refrained from inflaming the political fallout of the loss of the championship to NSW, after Jacinda Ardern said the decision was the result of "Sanzaar politics".
"This is election time, so cut her some slack on that," Impey said of Ardern's comments.
The New Zealand Rugby chairman equally said it was "not the case at all" that Australia and South Africa Sanzaar representatives had "put one over" New Zealand in backroom negotiations for the championship.
Asked if New Zealand would lose millions from not hosting the Rugby Championship, NZR chief executive Mark Robinson said: "The economic impact is a bit higher than that for a tournament of this kind. There's a lot of business owners we certainly feel for at the moment.
"It was one way we felt rugby could put a whole lot of smiles on faces and improve the mood of the country but also for bars, cafes, hotels to be full, for people to be travelling into centres to watch these games.
"All that stuff we were hopeful we could see happen but it's not to be."
NZR would still receive revenue from ticket sales, Rugby Australia's interim chief executive Rob Clarke confirmed last night.
"The way Sanzaar has approached this is very much a 'all hands in the middle' where all expenses will be pooled and all revenue will be pooled," Clarke said.
"The profit share will be split among the Sanzaar partners equally. It's a very fair approach. I think it incentivises everybody to make it more successful."
