A taste of their own medicine?

The end of 2007 and the disastrous World Cup campaign for the All Blacks was further exacerbated for New Zealand when a number of high profile players from the team decided to pack up and play for the English, Irish and French clubs. Panic and misery ensued and it did look like all was lost for New Zealand rugby with the dollar just not being able to match up in the face of the strong Euro and Pound.

This time it looks like a few of the English clubs will be getting a taste of their own medicine with the latest of their own to pack up and ship out being Jonny Wilkinson. Jonny’s been a loyal servant for Newcastle for nearly 12 years but is looking to further his options in Toulon. The question is – why are France still so wealthy with big money to offer still when everything seems to be turning to custard in the UK?

And who will be the next to leave?

The lack of Six Nations coverage in New Zealand

The northern hemisphere is in the middle of another six nations right now. Not that you would know about it in NZ. A small blurb might appear in the paper on Tuesday morning about who won what, but generally New Zealanders in this alleged rugby mad country wouldn’t know the first thing about who is playing who or winning what in the major northern hemisphere international rugby tournament.

The reasons? Well, the tournament isn’t screened on free-to-air or sky sports (on any of Sky’s three sports channels for that matter). If you are a hard core rugby fan and have money flowing in these tight economic times, you might be able to fork out an extra $10 a week on top of all the other sky goodies to get the rugby channel.

The rugby channel does show the games – at about three o’clock in the morning. It also shows a whole load of other rubbish (third division slog fests between King Country and Waitaki old boys and rugby panel discussions lead by right winger Wanganui mayor Michael Laws - a reactionary sort of block who really doesn’t need another soap box to start preaching on – especially considering he’s a politician - yeuch).

I’ll give the rugby channel a miss thanks. But I think it’s pretty crap that this supposed rugby nation of the world can’t cast it’s myopic eyes north occasionally to see what’s going on in another part of the world.

But that’s the state of NZ television unfortunately.