NZ Rugby has been branded "appalling" by an Australian rugby executive, as the debate over Super Rugby's future hits boiling point.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Waratahs chairman Roger Davis has launched a scathing attack, directed particularly at NZR boss Mark Robinson, for sneaking around behind Rugby Australia's back.
Davis claims NZR approached Australian Super Rugby franchises to discuss their interest in 8-10 team trans-Tasman competition beyond 2020.
Davis describes a meeting between Robinson and RA counterpart Rob Clarke on Monday as a waste of time, with the Kiwi dictating terms, making it crystal clear that five Australian teams was not NZR's preference.
SMH reports Clark feels the tone of the meeting was more an "expression of insolence" than a discussion.
Davis says New Zealand's standing as a rugby powerhouse is a myth, citing a poor result at Rugby World Cup 2019 and a one-team dominance of Super Rugby.
Davis sarcastically notes that maybe Australia should invite New Zealand sides into their competition, minus the winless Chiefs.
"They’re not the World Cup holders anymore... and look at recent games," Davis says.
"The Brumbies were coming second in Super Rugby [before the COVID-19 shutdown]. If you take the Crusaders out of their success in Super Rugby, it’s a pretty poor record and the same as every other country.
"The Chiefs have won none out of five. Maybe we should invite only four New Zealand sides?
"They’re saying we’re not good enough, so I think we could say 'wait, you’re not good enough to play in our comp'.
"We can work with Rob and Hamish to send an invitation to all New Zealand sides, suggesting they participate in a trans-Tasman five-plus-five competition.
"I don’t think the NZR would particularly like that, because we’re calling their bluff, but I think the New Zealand Super sides would very much like it.
"They’re trying to split us from Rugby Australia, so we’ll see how they like the same game being played on them. It’s appalling really.
"We’re not going to split or destroy the code by dumping two or three sides. It would do irreparable damage to the game here."
On Friday, Newshub revealed that NZR's preference was for an 8-10 team competition, that included all five New Zealand franchises, two or three Australian sides and a Pacific mash-up side.
But Davis says New Zealand needs Australia more than Australia needs New Zealand, claiming if their teams walk, a five-team NZ-only comp isn't sustainable.
"A five-team competition doesn’t hack it, nor does a 10-team competition frankly," he says. "You need 12 to make any money and they want to play against us."
"Robinson is a smart oak. He didn’t fall out from behind a bar.
"He's a Cambridge graduate - the wrong university, I might add [Davis went to Oxford] - so one would hope he sees reasons.
"There’s mutual benefits on both sides. We’ve got 25 million people in our country, they’ve got five.
"Economics runs this game and says they would partner with us."
SMH reports officials from both sides are set to meet again next week to try to agree on the future of Super Rugby.
