Nick Sautner: Eden Park CEO on the new shot-clock technology for this weekend's test between the All Blacks and England

There will be no excuses for timed-out kicks at goal at Eden Park on Saturday.  

As the All Blacks host England for the second test in the series there will be a 60-second shot clock displayed on the big screen and the television broadcast, that will signal how much time a kicker has to take their shot at goal.  

It comes after All Blacks first-five Damian McKenzie was deemed by referee to have taken longer than the time limit when lining up a penalty kick in the first test in Dunedin.  

With just three minutes remaining in the match, the All Blacks won a penalty and captain Scott Barrett pointed towards the posts signalling they would like a shot at three points. Three points that would have given the All Blacks a four-point buffer with barely enough time for England to kick-off.  

The clock begins when the captain points towards the posts for a shot at goal and this rule is not unknown to players as it was the same rule used in Super Rugby Pacific this year. 

“The kick must be taken within 60 seconds (playing time) from the time the team indicated their intention to do so, even if the ball rolls over and has to be placed again. Sanction: Kick is disallowed and a scrum is awarded,” the law states. 

Where confusion arose for McKenzie was that his only means of knowing how much time he had left was communication from the referee. 

The referee blew his whistle and signalled that McKenzie had taken longer than the allocated 60 seconds and England were given possession back. The All Blacks’ player maker’s blushes were saved as the All Blacks held on to record a 16-15 victory but the incident sparked debate as to whether communication from the referee was enough clarity. 

Eden Park CEO Nick Sautner told Andrew Dickens the clock is linked to the referee, so it’s an operational matter for NZR and the TMO. 

He said that testing has been done to accommodate any and all of the three screens in the grounds. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Damian mackenzie has the biggest risk watch in history. It's
on the Eden Park big screen and to put it
on to the big screen was the park's chief executive
for the station at the Stadium of the Nation. Next
out Mahallo sor Rynck are you there?

Speaker 2 (00:15):
We go?

Speaker 1 (00:16):
Mouse did not work?

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Hello Nick, good morning Andrew? How are you?

Speaker 1 (00:19):
I'm very good. So do you buy a shot clock
of off the shelf or did you have to make
it yourself?

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Well, as you can imagine, the calls started coming through
last Saturday night NZEDR and Eating Parks teams then work
through on Sunday the opportunities and possibilities. We've been fortunate
over the last three years to invest thirty million dollars
worth of venue upgrades, so we were able to accommodate
the request and delighted to have that technology this weekend.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
Is it linked to the ref or do you have
a shot clock operator?

Speaker 2 (00:52):
So it is linked. So it's an operational matter for
nz R and the TMO. So it's not either my
self for one of them. Iteam pressing the button?

Speaker 1 (01:03):
Well, what screen is it going to be on the
big screen, you know, on the East end or on
every screen.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
We have three superscreens at Eden Park, so the testing
has been done to accommodate either one or all three.

Speaker 1 (01:15):
You're the first ground. Will this happen in every ground
around the world? You reckon.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
I think it's a part of the fan engagement if
you look at whether it be basketball or other sporting events,
the technology that's been developed in swimming with the world
record line or even sailing. We need to continue to
evolve and provide a fan experience that encourages people to
come back to our.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
Stadiums absolutely sold out. You've got fine whether the high
expected tomorrow's seventeen degrees, it's just perfect. You know, the
Nation Stadium is going to be just fine at it.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
As you can imagine. We want the Fortress to continue.
It's a thirty year record, forty eight games. We've got
to sell our crowd with staff. We'll have over two
thousand staff working and with over fifty thousand people in attendance,
we're very proud of the economic benefit it delivers for
the city, but also the escapes and so we're ready.
The grass looks magnificent and looking forward to welcoming people

(02:10):
arrive early tomorrow and experience the hype of Eden park
Our National Stadium.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
Good Luck, thank you, next out the yes the shot
cock Eden for Damian Mackenzie. I saw him yesterday, very fit,
very fast as a man, very bad sense of timing.
But I don't just look up at the screen. Look
up at the screen, Damien and good Luck. I didn't
ask any of those guys for a score prediction, though
my own prediction is I'm expecting a rousing improval from

(02:38):
the all Backs and a big win. I know that
Elliot Smith reckons by seven, and I'm going to say
all Backs by twelve.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to
news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio