Rugby: Counties Manukau in crisis

The Counties Manukau Rugby Union has called a public meeting to discuss the plight of the organisation and its future on the provincial landscape.

The union today issued a plea for fans and the public to attend a forum at the province's home base in Pukekohe next Monday night as fears grow about its continued participation in the top tier of the domestic competition.

Crippled by the costs associated with staging poorly attended games at Mt Smart Stadium and then rocked by their major sponsor Tribro going into receivership, Counties Manukau required a bailout from the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) to stay operational.

However, the NZRU offer relied on the union agreeing to drop out of the Air NZ Cup - a scenario union officials initially rejected, although that stance may be altered after next week's meeting at Growers Stadium.

The union's board felt dropping out of the Air NZ Cup would reduce Counties Manukau to a feeder union, one where players, coaches and support staff were denied professional pathways locally.

Counties Manukau chief executive Phil McConnell said the community's views were imperative.

"We need to let our public know what is going on and give them a voice. We still believe enough people care about the province to save our union," O'Connell said, equating Counties Manukau's predicament to the one experienced by Northland last year.

Northland were threatened with demotion but public pressure helped ensure their survival.

One initiative is to sell 3000 season memberships, starting at $50, to boost crowd numbers at Growers Stadium.

- NZPA