Sanzaar boss lifts lid on "interesting" relationship with NZR

Almost a year since Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's infamous "Sanzaar politics" claim, the back and forth jostling between New Zealand Rugby and the body that oversees the Rugby Championship has smoothed over for now, according to Sanzaar boss Brendan Morris.

The testy relationship between NZR and Sanzaar flared up once again last week, following the decision not to send the All Blacks to Perth for the third Bledisloe Cup test against the Wallabies scheduled for this weekend.

NZR's decision, which according to chief executive Mark Robinson was due to uncertainty over the venue of the Rugby Championship and player welfare concerns, started a public war of words with Rugby Australia and Sanzaar.

It prompted Sanzaar to air its "disappointment" over NZR's decision.

"Sanzaar is very disappointed that the New Zealand Rugby Union has made the decision not to travel to Perth at this time to play Australia for its second-round match [of the Rugby Championship which doubles as the third Bledisloe test]," the governing body said in a statement last week.

"Sanzaar also recognises that this decision is incredibly disappointing for rugby fans in Perth."

Since then, the Rugby Championship schedule has been confirmed, with Queensland earning the hosting rights and the third Bledisloe in Perth scheduled for either September 3 or 4.

Asked on Tuesday if the relationship between Sanzaar and NZR has been smoothed over, Morris replied: "I think so."

"We're in a really competitive environment. And when we make the statement about being disappointed, we were disappointed that the game was postponed," he continued, clarifying the comments made by Sanzaar last week. "It's an interesting time that we're all living in, and fans were really excited about going to a game of rugby on the 28th. And that was our major disappointment.

"It's an interesting joint venture as everybody knows. It's a working progress at times and we go through ups and downs like any partnership ... we want to work together, get the best tournament delivered that we can and let the rugby do the talking because that's why we're here."

The details around the Perth test, the initial sticking point in last week's administrative drama, is still yet to be ironed out, but Morris said he's confident a solution will be found in the next few days.

"I'm reasonably optimistic that we'll have a solution in the next sort of 24 to 48 hours. As you know, stadium availability at the moment is always difficult in Australia, particularly with multi-use stadiums.

"The AFL have first rights in WA. So we're working really closely with the WA government, Rugby Australia and the AFL around what their games will be. There are some good solutions there with a Friday night match (September 3) or a Saturday night match (September 4).

"The good thing is the All Blacks are very accommodating and are ready to move on Thursday, which will get them into Perth in time to prepare for a Friday night game if need be. Still a few moving pieces but we're pretty confident of a solution in the next couple of days."

In terms of the Rugby Championship venue, with several options including Europe being considered, Morris said Queensland ended up being the "best solution".

"Based on all the factors at hand, we've ended up with the best solution. We're very grateful to the Queensland government who have given us exemptions to work on a biosecurity plan to protect not just the community but the players as well. And give them the best opportunity that they can to prepare for international rugby whilst keeping the Covid protocols first in mind."

Morris also added that New Zealand, even before the re-emergence of Covid-19 in the community, would not have been an option due to "complex" challenges around limited MIQ space and facilities.