Mike's Minute: Pain for New Zealand Rugby

For a sport that is hardly sizzling in a sports world that is sizzling, the pain for New Zealand Rugby has clearly just got a whole lot worse. 

INEOS had a six year deal worth apparently $48 million. That’s $8 million a year. 

They have walked three years early and as a result are being sued by NZR. I don’t blame them. 

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is an interesting bloke. 

He is involved in English football through Manchester United and with Mercedes F1. He was involved in the America's Cup with Ben Ainslie, but has subsequently fallen out. 

I quite liked his cars. He wanted to keep making the old Land Rover Defender when they upgraded it a couple of years ago. He offered to buy the designs, Land Rover said no, so he invented his own a thing called the Grenadier, which although is no Land Rover, is not a bad looking thing to run up a paddock. 

I suppose you could ask whether Ratcliffe is even aware of any of this. But my guess is yes, given his prominence at the football and at the sailing. 

Has NZR, in INEOS' eyes, done something wrong? Have they not delivered on some KPIs? Is there a counter case here? 

In what court is this to be heard? How much time will it take and what will it cost? 

Is it a World Trade Organisation type-thing, whereby it's often not really worth the hassle because nothing tangible comes of it? 

Is it simply one of those contracts where as much as you might want to put down on paper, people and actions count for more and if you don’t want to do business then basically that’s the end of that? 

The union are the biggest losers and i feel sorry for them. No one at INEOS, I suspect, gives a monkeys. INEOS are global, from F1 to EPL. The All Blacks, although big in rugby, aren't huge globally and the hole left is more pressing for a sport than a petrol chemical company. 

Ratcliffe looks shabby if the union case is correct and he has simply bailed. 

But I doubt he is losing sleep. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now for a sport that's hardly sizzling in a sports
world that is, the paint for New Zealand Rugby has
clearly got a whole lot worse than the last twenty
four hours. Enios had a six year deal worth apparently
forty eight million dollars. That's about eight million bucks a year.
They've walked three years early and as a result of
being sued by the NZDA. I don't blame them, Sir.
Jim Radcliffe interesting bloke. He's involved, if you don't know,
an English football through Manchester United Mercedes F one. He

(00:22):
was involved in the America's Cup with Ben Ainsley, but
has subsequently fallen out. I quite like his cars. I
mean he wanted to keep making the old Landrover Defender
when they upgraded it a couple of years ago. He
offered to buy the designs Landrover said no, so he
invented his own, a thing called the Grenadier, which, although
no Landrover Defender, is not a bad looking vehicle to
run up a paddock. I suppose you could ask whether

(00:43):
Radcliffe is even aware of any of this, but my
guess is yes. Given his performance at the football and
the sailing He's omnipresent question. Has n z are in
Inios's eyes, done something wrong? Have they not delivered on
some KPIs for example? Is there a counter case here?
In what court is this to be heard? How much
time will it take and what will it cost? Is
it a World Trade Organization type thing whereby it's off

(01:05):
and not really worth a hassle because nothing tangible comes
out of it? Is it simply one of those contracts
where as much as you want to put it down
on paper, people and actions count for more. And if
you don't want to do business, then basically that's the
end of that. The union other biggest losers, of course,
and I do feel sorry for them. No one at Anios,
I suspect gives the monkeys about this. Ineos are a
global player from F one to EPL. The All Blacks,

(01:27):
although big and Rugby, aren't huge globally, and the whole,
the whole left is more pressing for a sport, I
would have thought than a petrochemical company that brings in
fifty five billion dollars a year. Ratcliff's yes, he looks
shabby at this point of the union cases correct, and
he is simply walked away from this, but a doubt
he's losing sleep. For more from the mic Asking Breakfast,
listen live to news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays,

(01:49):
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