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Hobbs wants change after big losses
Posted Wed, 23 Apr 2008
New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) chairman Jock Hobbs said that the running of the game in the country needs to change to meet the high expectations of fans.
Hobbs' declaration came at the NZRU's Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Wednesday, where the union showed a financial loss of NZ$1.7 million (US$1.35).
The Kiwi boss said the quarterfinal loss to France at last year's World Cup had cast a long shadow.
"The New Zealand Rugby Union failed to fulfil the hopes and expectations of so many of our stakeholders and supporters," Hobbs told the meeting in Wellington.
"For an organisation - and a country - that sets its standards and expectations very high, the loss was incredibly difficult to accept," he said.
"We need to change if we are to meet the needs and expectations of rugby fans, players and officials at all levels."
He also referred to an independent report released last week into the World Cup failure, which criticised several aspects of the All Blacks preparation and performance in the tournament, which ended with the 18-20 loss to France.
Hobbs said in the interests of winning the Webb Ellis Cup, the NZRU had made a series of bold decisions which did not meet with universal approval.
"As we know now - and as the independent review has clearly pointed out - some of those decisions were wrong," Hobbs said.
Among the policies singled out for criticism in the review was the decision to take 22 leading players out of the first half of last year's Super 14 competition for fitness and conditioning work ahead of the World Cup.
The financial loss for 2007 was almost entirely caused by foreign exchange losses due to the high value of the New Zealand dollar against the US currency, union chief executive Steve Tew said.
The loss, which compared with a NZ$4.8 million shortfall in 2006, would have been NZ$6 million worse if the union had not taken out a hedging contract, he said.
The loss was smaller than expected and some media reports ahead of the announcement had speculated about a possible loss as high as NZ$10 million.
In his annual report Hobbs said the New Zealand rugby community faced a number of multi-layered and interconnected issues, including foreign exchange exposure, funding, community rugby, the global rugby landscape, and the effectiveness of New Zealand's competitions.
In his speech to the AGM, Hobbs said the challenge now was for the entire New Zealand rugby community – "as guardians of the game" – to respond to the evolving landscape both in New Zealand and globally.
"We also need to change if we are to meet the needs and expectations of rugby fans, players and officials at all levels," he said.
Hobbs said in the wake of the disappointments of 2007, and in an environment that was increasingly difficult and uncertain, New Zealand rugby needed to act with a shared resolve and solidarity to safeguard the future of the game in this country.
"This was the overwhelming consensus from the recent Provincial Union and Franchise Forum," he said.
In the immediate short-term, an action plan had been drawn up with NZRU, Provincial Union, Franchise and other stakeholder representatives to work on four key areas:
* Refreshing and revising a vision for the game which encompasses all rugby and rugby organisations nationwide;
* A focus on competitions – a review of the Air New Zealand Cup will be completed by September this year and preliminary work has started on the next generation of SANZAR competitions;
* The development of principles for all rugby stakeholders to work together and communicate effectively.
* A major review of the structure and governance of rugby across the country encompassing all rugby organisations.
Hobbs said while there were challenges ahead, there was still great spirit within rugby.
"I strongly believe that the future of New Zealand rugby as our national game rests on our collective ability to harness and channel the shared will and determination of the entire New Zealand rugby community."
