A proposal by Rugby Australia to stage an annual Bledisloe Cup clash on Anzac Day, starting next year, appears sunk after New Zealand Rugby walked back early enthusiasm and dismissed the concept as not “viable”.
The plan for the Wallabies and the All Blacks to play a Test match next April was first pitched by RA last year, with chair Daniel Herbert describing an annual fixture between the trans-Tasman rivals around Anzac Day as a “no-brainer” with potential to be a lucrative “flagship event” for rugby.
This masthead later revealed the WA government was keen to bankroll the event, which would also include Super Round being played over the same weekend at Optus Stadium in Perth.
The idea had been floated a decade prior without success, but was put back on the table by RA as part of negotiations for the Rugby Championship to be paused in 2026 to allow All Blacks to be able to tour South Africa for an extended Test series.
And it appeared to have good traction when NZR CEO Mark Robinson said in September that they were “really open to it” and had made good progress in early talks with RA.
“You want to be able to lock it in and make it a real tradition,” Robinson said. “It’s a massive day in both countries, isn’t it, for all the reasons we know about historically, and all the service and sacrifice that’s gone into that day. So the concept, for fans, would be something that resonates strongly.”
Wallabies captain Harry Wilson on the charge against New Zealand.Credit: Getty Images
Robinson added NZR would need to work with stakeholders to find solutions to potential problems, however. And contacted for an update last week, Robinson revealed New Zealand Rugby had weighed up the pros and cons and decided they would not be backing an Anzac Day Bledisloe Test.
“We certainly committed to exploring the concept and were open-minded to it, but had a lot of work to do,” Robinson said.
“When we have gone and spoken to various groups, be it the Super Rugby clubs, the players association and various partners, we don’t see it as viable, at this stage.
“As part of that we looked at the model of doing this home and away, because if we were to move to what is effectively a three-Test series, playing every year away wasn’t something we thought was appropriate. And when you look at the financial model of doing it home and away, it’s vastly different to what the Australians are proposing with their model of funding.
“The reality of that, and how it looked long-term commercially, was another consideration. What we do we risk in Super, in player welfare and in other commercial partnerships, by comparison? That was the equation we looked at and, at the moment, it doesn’t really stack up.”
Though the revenue forecasts indicate a Bledisloe Cup on Anzac Day in Perth would see RA and NZR both bank millions, major event spending in New Zealand is not as commonplace.
The plan would have required Wallabies and All Blacks players to exit Super Rugby for at least two rounds to prepare and play the mid-season Test match. Informed sources with knowledge of the NZR discussions said some private investors in New Zealand’s Super Rugby clubs were not supportive of losing their All Black players mid-season.
But perhaps the biggest contributing factor, according to informed sources, was the opposition of All Blacks coach Scott Robertson towards the unorthodox preparation window. New Zealand Rugby have long been ultra-conservative when it comes to potentially damaging All Blacks success.
Perth’s Optus Stadium hosted a 2019 Bledisloe Cup Test.Credit: AP
Asked about Robertson’s view was a key reason behind the NZR stance, Robinson said there was not one major factor and while “you never say never”, the chief executive said it was hard to see an Anzac Day Bledisloe Cup getting off the ground.
“Based on all in the information we’ve seen, there were no solutions to all of those things combined that we could see immediately. It’s hard to see in the immediate future, that’s for sure,” he said.
Rugby Australia haven’t given up, however. Chief executive Phil Waugh remains optimistic and believes the concept is too good to give up on, particularly with both unions under financial strain. He will continue to push the plan with NZR officials.
“We think it could be one of the most compelling sporting events on the calendar across Australia and New Zealand, uniting our two countries on a day we reflect on the strength of the bond between us,” Waugh said.
“The Wallabies and All Blacks share a rich history and an Australia-New Zealand Bledisloe Cup on Anzac Day would add a new chapter to that. The stakeholder engagement and commercial due diligence we have undertaken all come to the same conclusion: this is an excellent initiative and one worth pursuing. We will continue to work towards a solution.”
While next year now looks unlikely, Rugby Australia are hopeful the Anzac Day Bledisloe Cup concept can remain a possibility to be launched in future years.
Herbert has repeatedly spoken about the need to rugby to shake off the game’s traditional and risk-averse mindsets, and “build mass entertainment products” that not only engage with the modern sports fan, but can generate substantial revenues, too.
“We are still hanging on to a lot of the amateur baggage, in my view,” Herbert said last year.
“We need to break free of that, and start to look with a clean sheet of paper: how do we build the most commercial, entertaining products we possibly can, to attract the biggest market we can?”
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