New Zealand Rugby (NZR) CEO Mark Robinson has defended the governing body’s stance on resting players whilst acknowledging fan frustration.
The ruling by NZR is that All Blacks representatives are prohibited from playing more than five consecutive matches for their Super Rugby sides irrespective of how many minutes they played or whether they sustained any niggles or injuries.
Robinson said he understood the backlash to the policy but firmly believes that the advancements in sports science and the greater understanding around concussion supports his argument.
“It’s a great question and it’s a fair one,” Robinson said on SENZ.
“We have an obligation where we are juggling priorities and all the research and data we see from our high performance people around load management and amount of minutes suggests that the players need a break around the five to six game mark.
“I appreciate that there are fans out there who are used to seeing players play for long periods of time.
“However, we feel an obligation around player welfare and all the information is telling us they need a break.
“(Concussion) is also a massive priority for us.
“We are looking at ways we can change the format of the game (so that) over time, the nature of (head) contact will change.”
The Super Rugby competition has gone through several changes in the past few seasons largely thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, crowds for this year’s competition haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels and Robinson said that he and his team are aware of the issues and are altering their approach to rugby throughout the country.
“We have seen two sell-outs in recent weeks,” Robinson said of the Super Rugby competition in New Zealand.
“Historically, the sport has relied on rugby being the national game and the (thinking has been) that you should come out and support us.
“We acknowledge that we need to change that model.
“We are working really hard to put the fan in the centre of the game.
“We have worked hard to grow value across the game so we can re-invest and foster the game at all levels.”