Elliott Smith: Newstalk ZB rugby commentator on Mark Robinson stepping down as New Zealand Rugby chief executive

Mark Robinson's underlined dealing with Covid-19 as the biggest challenge of his tenure as New Zealand Rugby chief executive.

Robinson will stand down at the end of the year, to move to Australia with family.

He was only three weeks into the job in 2020 when the pandemic hit - shutting down the game.

Newstalk ZB rugby commentator Elliott Smith says this is the right move.

"There's clearly a movement for change in New Zealand Rugby, Mark Robinson's got some family in Australia - so I think, ultimately, it's probably a good time for everyone to clear the decks."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Digging through the Smith to find the real story story.
It's hither Duplessyl drive with one New Zealand Let's get connected.
News TALKSB Afternoon.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Mark Robinson has quit as the boss of New Zealand Rugby.
He's done five years in the job. He will depart
at the end of this year. News Talk zb's Elliott
Smith was at his press conference and it is with
us now, Hey, Elliott, Hello, it was always going to
end this way, wasn't it.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
I think so yeah, Look, if you've got a new
board in charge, there's clearly a movement for change in
New Zealand rugby. Mirk Robinson's got some family in Australia,
so I think ultimately it's probably a good time for
everyone to clear the dicks and you know, get onto
the next five to ten year cycle that New Zealand
Rugby can now plot out, which sees a lot of
change in the international game. Especially.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Do you think he will leave a mixed legacy or
just a poor legacy.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
I think mixed, And I think the jury's out on
the Silver Lake investment and whether it's being used in
the right way, whether it was the right decision in
the first place. You know a lot of people around
the Super Rugby changes as well that came about as
a result of COVID. Also I'm a fan of those changes.
I think ultimately this year we've probably seen a better
competition than what we've had. There have been a number

(01:13):
of other challenges for the game as well. But on
the flip side, he's been at the forefront of getting
some of the key rules changed in rugby, some touring concepts,
you know, the New Zealand so Africa tours that are
going to be reintroduced from next year, the Global Nations Cup,
which he's been quite hot on for his tenure as well.
So I think relatively mixed, but we probably won't know

(01:33):
the Silver Lake sort of legacy for another five or
so years.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
He has done things that perhaps now we are not
regarding as particularly wonderful, but it may.

Speaker 3 (01:41):
Be for maybe in time. And look, you know that
New Zealand so Africa series next year, which is going
to be a great tour. That's a lot of his
work that is going to be you know, part of that,
and the Nation's Cup is another one. So there have
been obviously Marx and his tenure that the handling of
the Ian Foster saga in twenty twenty too, when they
reappointed Ian Foster or kept him on through to the

(02:03):
World cart wasn't handled particularly well, So I'll be fairly
comfortable saying a mixed legacy at this point.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
Okay, who would likely replace him? Who are they looking for?

Speaker 3 (02:11):
Well, that's the question. I think they need someone. You know,
silver Lake supposedly was going to open up all these
doors to all these brains and concepts around the global
Who's around the silver Lake table, who's been in organizations
that have had silver Lap money. Maybe someone from that
comes on board. Does it have to be a New Zealander.
I don't know that it necessarily. Does it have to
be a ruggy person. I don't know that it necessarily does.
It needs to be someone that understanding of how high

(02:33):
performance systems work but also how they're filtered down to
the grassroots, and the grassroots have been crying out for
more investment and obviously being the heartland of the game
for it for a number of years, they've felt at
times ignored. So it's going to be if this one
with a whole whole of game concept, I suppose that
they're going to have to try and find and it's very,

(02:53):
very difficult to say running a professional sports club elsewhere,
it's a real nisty, gritty, silver approach that you can
have to find and they don't scream out to you
across the table here in New Yo.

Speaker 2 (03:03):
Right, Elliott, thank you so much. We always always enjoy
having a chat to you. That's Elliot Smith, Newstalk zb's
Rugby At. It is now Mark Robinson actually how the
press conference not long ago. He says that he's leaving
ends At are in a strong position.

Speaker 4 (03:14):
Our teams, our athletes, our brands are far more recognizable
all around the world. We now invest you know, close
to forty million dollars a year into the community game,
which is significantly above you know where it was previously.

Speaker 1 (03:30):
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