Players boss says landmark Silver Lake talks now ‘constructive’

NEW Zealand Rugby Players Association chief executive Rob Nichol is at ease talking about rugby’s big issues.

The long-serving players boss has frequently been in the middle of them. A decade before this week’s eligibility changes were finally passed at the World Rugby level – to the delight of the Pasifika rugby community – Nichol had helped draft the original ‘‘homecoming’’ proposal, only to see it defeated by a single vote. Now, he’s knee deep in the talks over what would be one of New Zealand rugby’s most consequential decisions – giving the green light to the proposed Silver Lake investment.

Working through these oftencomplex areas means that Nichol sees issues not in black and white, but in various shades of grey. ‘‘Every action has a reaction,’’ he tells Sunday News in a wide-ranging interview, always on the look for unintended consequences.

On the Silver Lake deal, Nichol has been keeping a low profile for months after some heated public dialogue between the players union and New Zealand Rugby.

However, while the devil is clearly still in the detail, Nichol is now comfortable in saying the

conditions, at least, are now more favourable in terms of reaching an agreement. ‘‘Everyone’s working together,’’ Nichol said ‘‘It’s been constructive, and we continue to engage.

‘‘There’s been obviously some revised options put on the table and a lot of really good thinking being done by a lot of people.

‘‘So, good engagement, good solution focus, and everyone is working together. Hopefully out of that, we might be able to get something that would work for everyone, and for rugby.’’

The big news globally this week has been the eligibility changes. Nichol knows the topic inside out, and on a related subject is pushing World Rugby to make an amendment that would allow Highlanders halfback Folau Fakatava to remain eligible for the All Blacks next year (it’s complicated).

Yet, while many would expect Nichol to be celebrating wildly about the eligibility change, he introduces a note of caution.

‘‘Even though we’ve been a big proponent for one rule for all players to say that once during the career you can change subject to some certain criteria, there is another part that says that you make your choice to represent a country and other players may choose to represent their country,’’ Nichol said.

‘‘So, one person in France may choose to represent France, even though they were born in Georgia and bought up in Georgia. They qualify under residency so they choose to represent France, but their brother chooses to play for Georgia, and that’s fine.

‘‘And then the next World

Cup rolls around, and the brother in France says, ‘Well, actually, I might change my allegiance now because I can’t make the French team so I’ll play for Georgia’, and knocks his brother out of the team.’’

That may be a hypothetical situation, but here Nichol clearly has sympathy for the players who committed early to Tonga and Samoa, who may now lose their places for former All

Blacks and Wallabies.

‘‘You will have some very, very good international players who committed to the island nations who will ultimately lose their spots because other players, who originally chose to play for another country, a top-level nation where they get paid more money,’’ Nichol said. ‘‘You don’t want to criticise that – we believe every player should be allowed to change at least once – but every action has a reaction.

‘‘It all has a consequence, and you really do feel for those people that are committed to a country and then ultimately may miss out on a spot.’’

The test coaches in Samoa and Tonga – Seilala Mapusua and Toutai Kefu – are therefore likely to have to make some

‘‘risk and reward’’ decisions, Nichol says.

‘‘If they are looking to bring

this person in they’re going to have to add really good value into the team and those around them, and to the legacy of what that team is trying to achieve.

‘‘The coaches, I think if they are wise, they will not just open the door and let everyone walk through.’’

As such, Nichol believes this week’s changes are definitely not the silver bullet for Pacific Islands test sides. In fact, he sees the danger in World Rugby possibly thinking their work is done.

‘‘This is not the solution. This is not a quick fix.There’s an awful lot of other challenges: player release, Reg 9, a lack of meaningful competition, a lack of time together to train and play.

‘‘Those issues are all still very prevalent. So, this is going to help a bit, as long as it’s managed carefully. But it would be a real shame if everyone said, ‘That’ll give them a boost for a few years, let’s just sit back and see how that works’. The work has to go on around these developing nations.’’

‘This is not a quick fix. There’s an awful lot of other challenges.’ ROB NICHOL