This is tiresome. There is no way we can overcome economic challenges rooted in our small domestic market, reliance on international broadcasting and sponsorships, and global player market salaries.
We face constraints from our small ~5 million population, limiting domestic broadcast, gate, and sponsorship revenues.
While Super Rugby Pacific drives significant TV viewership (over 1.1M for early rounds) and supports higher broadcasting deals, an NZ-only NPC would likely reduce overall rights value and international appeal.
Player economics further complicate the call for isolation: modest Super Rugby salaries already struggle against lucrative European and Japanese contracts (often NZ$400k–800k+). A standalone domestic competition would compress revenues, exacerbating talent retention challenges without global pathways and exposure.
What would happen in an NPC only competition? We would not be able to retain our players due to salaries. We would need to open eligibility to overseas players meaning our NPC becomes a feeder competition to Europe and Japan. We basically become another Argentina.
This is clear discrimination and political interference in sport. No team should be made to compete under conditions no other country would ever accept.
FIFA has a lot to answer for.
@soukeye___ I hear a lot of ppl say bc he was abused in his childhood he liked to be a rescuer of kids which makes sense tbf. And why he and Jeff Eps had beef. But yeah still very weird
@316simsim When he was representing the PL playing for a London club, it was all fine, now he is representing an African country, we can score some holier than thou points
They will shake CR7’s hand if they were asked to.
So the moral high ground is funny, the PL/FA were silent as a mouse when he was in their league form 2022 onwards.
So £35m + £3.8m in addition to add ons they really worked hard to keep it under £40m. Welcome to Manchester United Ederson I’ll judge you in a United shirt not on misleading comps.