NZRU decision correct, but still problems in rugby - Manawatu

Manawatu supporters now have plenty to cheer about next season. Photo / John Cowpland

The New Zealand Rugby Union got a "wake-up call" when they tried to change the format of the national rugby premiership, the Manawatu Rugby Union head says.

Manawatu chief executive John Knowles said compared to their big city cousins, people in the provinces are more interested in rugby and that was shown by the sell-out home crowds that his team got this season.

Knowles said his union was delighted by today's NZRU decision to keep 14 teams in the top tier but there are still problems with rugby.

"The whole game needs a turn around. My own personal view is that there is too much television exposure and too much rugby exposure. People get sick of it and go and do something else," Knowles said.

But he said his union had tapped into some strong local support and when it came to paying off a $180,000 debt from the 2008 season, the union asked the public to dig deep.

"We made $350,000 from that appeal," Mr Knowles said.

He said the future looks bright for Manawatu rugby with money in the bank and at least one more year in the top tier.

Counties Manukau Rugby Football Union board member Matthew Newman said the NZRU is "out of touch" with provincial unions.

Newman's union had sought legal action while the NZRU looked to chop four teams from the premiere competition.

But today's announcement by the NZRU has made the Counties Manukau union very happy.

"We can now nail down our coach, who did not want to be involved in a nebulous division two or one team. We can nail down our players for 2010 which means we can now concentrate on our on-field performance," Mr Newman said.

He said the NZRU push for a 10-6-10 format - which would have seen four unions relegated - was never agreed.

"There was absolutely agreement that change needed to occur but the nature of the change... there were a lot of assumptions being made by the NZRU that the 10-6-10 format would happily be adopted at a point in time. They were out of touch, very out of touch," Mr Newman said.

He said the announcement also means that the union will be able to fund school and club rugby at the grass-roots.

Northland Rugby union chairman Andrew Golightly said his union was pleased with the decision which will "enable Northland rugby to move forward".

He said the union was always going to "stand strong" and had huge support from sponsors and fans.

"We're grateful that the NZRU has listened and made a sensible decision for 2010," Mr Golightly said.

He said the NZRU's decision hinged on their ability to create strong competition in the lower divisions.

"We understand their position but they've come back to: were they able to deliver on a second tier being meaningful? That was always going to be a big challenge," Mr Golightly said.