Blocking Silver Lake deal is not about the money, says All Black Coles wsau.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wsau.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Photo: timhester/123RF
What s important here is that the game has said enough . In unanimously voting in favour of New Zealand Rugby s (NZR) attempt to sell a 12.5 percent stake in its commercial interests to Silver Lake, New Zealand s 26 provincial unions have begun the work required to wrest control of rugby away from the players and their union.
Rugby - as in the game that exists beyond All Blacks and Super Rugby level - is dying. Neglect s the main cause, as virtually every available dollar is spent on satisfying the whims and fancies of our elite players.
Silver Lake won t solve NZR s problems. It won t fund the various programmes the game needs to survive, or even meet the endless wage demands of the NZRPA s members, but it will at least buy the governing body time.
Taranaki Rugby Union say its support of a $387.5m investment to New Zealand Rugby by United States- based private equity group – Silver Lake – will benefit the game to grow locally.