Richard Knowler05:00, May 28 2021
STUFF
Chris Hipkins says holding the Rebels v Highlanders game in Queenstown will depend on how long the Melbourne bubble pause lasts.
OPINION: Let’s hope NZ Rugby and Rugby Australia aren’t preparing to tool-up and start chucking mud at each other once again. Last July the relationship turned toxic because NZ Rugby got under Rugby Australia’s fur by presenting a fresh Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competition model that included just three Aussie teams. That resulted in things kicking off between the pair until the smoke cleared, and they agreed to host their own domestic competitions followed by the trans-Tasman tournament in 2021.
Rugby Australia is keeping the door open for a domestic competition next year but the chief executive of New Zealand’s most successful team wants a fully-fledged trans-Tasman tournament.