News Ltd pressures ABs

The All Blacks' rest, rehabilitation and rotation policy hit another "R" word yesterday - resistance. News Ltd, the media company which effectively funds professional rugby in this part of the world, has hit out at the resting of many All Blacks from next year's Super 14 competition.

The News Ltd response - which hints at financial adjustments in the TV rights package which fuels professional rugby - can thus be regarded as one of Graham Henry's most significant World Cup issues to date.

The response from News Ltd contained a suggestion that financial compensation would have to be discussed because of Henry's plans to rest 30 All Blacks - 22 of them for four months, missing seven rounds of the Super 14 - to build up for the 2007 World Cup, a move foreshadowed by the Herald on Sunday last week.

The removal of leading players from a large part of the competition could be said to be downgrading it and News Ltd gave the first signs that it might be prepared to intervene publicly in the rugby it funds.

Reports from Australia also suggested News Ltd were ready to insist on extra Tri Nations tests in 2008 to make up for the shortened 2007 Tri Nations series - needed to make room for the World Cup. Such a suggestion flies in the face of moves by the NZRU and other countries to protect players from "too much rugby".

Henry was unimpressed with the reports and at the prospect of playing two extra rounds of Tri Nations tests (each country would play each other twice, home and away) in 2008.

"I guess that's a News Ltd executive talking. I don't know if there's been any consultation on that," Henry said. "That would be horrendous I think, a major challenge for teams. But I guess anything's possible and it needs to be discussed."

The News Ltd response was made public when corporate affairs director Greg Baxter told Sydney's Daily Telegraph it was "very disappointed" at the lack of NZRU consultation over the Super 14 decision and hinted at financial sanctions. News Ltd has a five-year broadcasting rights deal with the three Sanzar rugby unions until 2010, worth more than $NZ660m.

It seems a bit of a stretch that a financial adjustment would actually be made, but the News Ltd response stemmed from the company's complaint that it had not been consulted.

However, New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Chris Moller was unrepentant about withdrawing leading All Blacks from next year's Super 14 and bemused that News Ltd publicly voiced its displeasure.

Moller, in Pretoria for the All Black test, said there would be further discussions but it was unlikely the NZRU would back down. "Our advice is, from a legal perspective, obtained by Sanzar and by the NZRU independently, is that we're fully entitled to do what we've announced we're going to do," Moller told NZPA.

"The players can't go smashing their bodies in the game as we know it today, without some time away from it. That's one of the key points that the New Zealand Rugby Players Association has been making. This time out of the game, from a physical and mental point of view, has to occur."

Baxter said if the best players weren't going to be available for a major portion of a competition, then "that would be of concern to us as the broadcast rights holder".

"We'd be wanting to discuss with the NZRU and, I guess through Sanzar, arrangements for compensation or things like that," Baxter was quoted as saying. "We are not happy with these developments."

Moller said he took a telephone call from News Ltd's second-in-command, chief operating officer Peter Macourt, last Tuesday.

There was no mention of potential financial sanctions such as withholding broadcasting money, with Macourt saying he wanted to discuss it further at Sanzar level. "If they're raising the issue [of financial sanctions] then we'll need to talk that through," Moller said.

Moller said the NZRU hadn't informed News Ltd of its plans but similarly hadn't given prior notice of Henry's player rotation policy which saw him change his entire starting 15 between the Wales and Ireland tests last November. That drew no complaints from News Ltd.

The NZRU were in regular discussion with New Zealand television rights holder Sky about its Super 14 plans, and the issue was discussed at a recent broadcasters conference in Brisbane. "It's not as if it hasn't been in the public domain for a considerable period of time, so I'm a bit surprised that people weren't aware of these plans," Moller said.

He said the Australian and South African unions would like to follow a "similar" approach with resting their players next year, but he was unsure to what extent.

- NZPA