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New Zealand Government makes $7.3 million payout to rugby nationwide

(Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)

Rugby in New Zealand has received a $7.3 million boost from the nation’s government under its wage subsidy scheme.

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According to a report from Stuff, the country’s governing body, New Zealand Rugby, has attained about half of that payment – totalling in $3,687,444 – after filing applications due to hardship cause by the coronavirus pandemic.

The report states that NZR claimed for 531 staff, receiving $6933 per staff member.

The payout comes after the organisation slashed 20 percent of its staff’s pay at the beginning of the month, which, at the time, NZR said it was able to do with the assistance of the government’s subsidy.

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Provincial unions and Super Rugby franchises have also benefitted from the payout.

One of New Zealand’s largest provincial union, Canterbury, has received $400,147.20, for 63 staff members, which breaks down to $6351 per staff member.

Other large unions have received significant payouts, with Otago being handed $267,124.80 for 38 staff, while Auckland has been handed more than a quarter of a million for 37 staff members.

It’s a similar case for both the Waikato Rugby Union, which fielded $160,000 for 24 staff, and the Wellington Rugby Union, which has been granted $144,792 for 21 members of staff.

Elsewhere, smaller provinces have also claimed six-figure sums, with Manawatu, Hawke’s Bay, Bay of Plenty, Northland, Counties Manukau and Taranaki receiving more than $100,000 each.

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In Super Rugby, the Chiefs and Crusaders have been given $150,000, while $126,829 has gone the way of the Highlanders.

The Hurricanes’ owners – Hurricanes Investment Limited Partnership – has also received $112,473.60 for 16 staff, according to Stuff.

These payouts come in the wake of an emergency $250,000 grant from NZR to each of its Super Rugby clubs earlier this month.

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To be eligible for the subsidy, businesses must declare a revenue drop of 30 percent caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, and will keep the individuals named in their applications employed for at least the 12 weeks of the duration of the grant.

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Flankly 2 hours ago
'Absolute madness': Clive Woodward rips into Borthwick in wake of NZ loss

Borthwick is supposed to be the archetypical conservative coach, the guy that might not deliver a sparkling, high-risk attacking style, but whose teams execute the basics flawlessly. And that's OK, because it can be really hard to beat teams that are rock solid and consistent in the rugby equivalent of "blocking and tackling".


But this is why the performance against NZ is hard to defend. You can forgive a conservative, back-to-basics team for failing to score tons of tries, because teams like that make up for it with reliability in the simple things. They can defend well, apply territorial pressure, win the set piece battles, and take their scoring chances with metronomic goal kicking, maul tries and pick-and-go goal line attacks.


The reason why the English rugby administrators should be on high alert is not that the English team looked unable to score tries, but that they were repeatedly unable to close out a game by executing basic, coachable skills. Regardless of how they got to the point of being in control of their destiny, they did get to that point. All that was needed was to be world class at things that require more training than talent. But that training was apparently missing, and the finger has to point at the coach.


Borthwick has been in the job for nearly two years, a period that includes two 6N programs and an RWC campaign. So where are the solid foundations that he has been building?

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