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'They're going to have to play a bit more semi-professional': Top Kiwi official warns NZ players may need second career

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association chief executive Rob Nichol has warned that professional players in New Zealand may have to seek secondary jobs to accompany their rugby careers as the economic impact of COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc.

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According to Newshub, players are being told to prepare for a scenario where they will have to work in another profession alongside their rugby commitments as New Zealand Rugby grapples with the financial implications of coronavirus.

Nichol said that while NZR and NZRPA are committed to combatting the virus, which has brought the sporting world to its knees over the past few weeks, the current crisis could have a long-lasting affect on the game in New Zealand.

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“Maybe they’re going to have to step away from rugby,” Nichol told Newshub.

“Maybe rugby does change shape a little bit, and they’re going to have to play a bit more semi-professional and have a career in parallel to professional rugby.

“It may well be that, over the next 18 months to two years, a number of players are going to find themselves having to fall back on that kind of work and actually maybe step away from rugby.”

A move into a secondary job by the likes of All Blacks stars could help sustain the financial futures those at the lower end of the professional spectrum, such as players on low-tier provincial contracts.

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“It is absolutely quite tangible that a number of our players may end up having to go to a career outside of rugby for a period of time,” Nichol said.

Pay cuts are imminent for players in New Zealand, with NZR confirming to AAP that their staff are already taking 20 percent income slash.

“At the end of the day, it is making a sacrifice,” All Blacks midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown told Newshub.

“But if it’s for the game we love, then we’ll do anything.”

His Chiefs and All Blacks teammate Damian McKenzie echoed those sentiments, telling Newshub that rugby’s uncertain future has forced him to survey at his options.

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“It definitely puts it into perspective about our careers post-rugby, so now is a good chance to have a think about that sort of stuff.”

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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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