Rugby Australia chief executive Andy Marinos has blasted his Kiwi counterpart Mark Robinson for the way in which the All Blacks’ Perth no show was communicated.
New Zealand Rugby announced on Friday that the All Blacks would not be travelling to Perth this weekend ahead of the third Bledisloe Cup Test against the Wallabies on August 28.
In a strongly worded statement, RA said it was caught on the hop by the decision which it said came “despite positive discussions with all relevant stakeholders and a SANZAAR call scheduled for later today.”
The All Blacks have already wrapped up the Bledisloe Cup with two comfortable wins in Auckland.
RA will be hit hard financially by the decision given the 60,000 capacity Optus Stadium was sold out.
The Wallabies are already in Perth preparing for the match.
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“It’s incredibly disappointing to be informed of this decision via the media, despite having a conversation with the CEO moments before and there (was) no mention that this was the intention,” Marinos said.
“Despite this outcome, I am confident we will find a solution for the whole Rugby Championship in what continues to be a very challenging environment in which to work.
“We have been engaging in positive discussions with both teams as well as Government partners and were confident we were close to finding a solution.”
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“I would also like to thank the Wallaby team and management for their continued sacrifice, compromise and willingness to ensure Test matches get played,” Marinos said.
“The team has been in camp since the end of June and jumped on a plane at the end of July to go to New Zealand with no certainty as to what the Test schedule will look like, or when they would be home.
“The news of the cancellation of the O’Reilly Cup Tests is equally as disappointing for our Wallaroos, who were ready to play their first Test of the year.
“We will continue to leave no stone unturned in finding an option for our Wallaroos as well as the Perth Test.
“Australia has proven its ability to host international rugby in the current climate, and it is something we will continue to work towards.”
SANZAAR also released a statement saying it was “very disappointed that the New Zealand Rugby Union has made the decision not to travel to Perth.”
Robinson defended the decision later on Friday in an interview with Stuff.
“We can understand the frustration and disappointment of Rugby Australia abut the fact that we were unable to travel,” Robinson said.
“We have a huge amount of sympathy for the impact it has on them. As I said at the outset, we are absolutely committed to playing that game at some stage.
“Getting into a whole lot of speculation around who said what and when, doesn’t really help and doesn’t move forward.
“What we’re trying to do is find a solution to a situation that balances our need to look after our people, with our commitment to make this tournament go ahead.”