The Benchi Blues

The verdict on Benji Marshall, by the New Zealand media is in, and it’s brutal!

The wrap up of the news from New Zealand – Blues must cut their losses with Benji Marshall if they have any desire to reaffirm a growing bid for the Super Rugby semi-finals. New Zealand players must concentrate on their own game and stop trying to disrupt others. And, the future of SANZAR lies in Australia?

The general feeling coming from the New Zealand rugby media, following Marshall’s atrocious 15 minute comedy show on Saturday is less than glowing. Coming onto the field with when the Blues were well ahead, with no pressure, allowing him to settle in and build some confidence with the ball-in-hand.

New Zealand Herald’s Chris Rattue wrote, “The Blues might as well cut their losses on the Benji Marshall experiment before his alleged rugby union education causes a calamity that derails their growing Super 15 title bid.

“This so-called drip feed education of Marshall is not how cross-code transitions are normally done. The deep end is the smart end. The Blues are conducting a charade, covering their tracks. The turnstiles aren’t exactly going mad with Marshall mania.

“In his league prime, Marshall was a wildly creative risk taker who was an absolute joy to watch. As his long-time coach Tim Sheens reckoned, he was a better runner – rubber-man style – than playmaker. And this was all a long time ago.

“Marshall’s cross-field style had already gone out of fashion in league and is cringe-inducing in union. His physical courage in coming back from shoulder injury disasters is a memory. Any money was crazy money for Benji. He was awful in a half-hour stint at fullback against the Highlanders on Saturday night. The Blues don’t need the distraction. Did someone, yes it was Marshall himself, really mention the All Blacks?”

Not exactly an endorsement!

The topic may have been slightly different, but the message is eerily similar, Paul from NZ Herald, took an opportunity to have a go at the wider New Zealand rugby class of 2014.

Sick and tired of the ugly “niggle” finding its way into the game across the Tasman, Gregor Paul called for an end of the “illegal” holding tactics.

“There’s a touch of the sanctimonious about New Zealand rugby when it comes to the issue of foul play … while the game here might not be dirty, it is starting to be more than a little niggly,” Paul wrote.

“These last few weeks have seen an increasing number of players indulge in unnecessary, cheap stuff that is designed to infuriate opponents.

“Worst of all has been the jersey holding. This weekend keep an eye on the activity around the ruck and at any given stage there will inevitably be some jersey pulling by a New Zealand team. It’s become part and parcel – recognised as a legitimate means to disrupt the defence. Keep the defence tied in for that split second longer – what’s wrong with that? What’s wrong with it is it’s illegal and beneath the players here.

“They don’t need to do it and once players gain a reputation, they can never lose it – especially not with referees.”

Yet, surprisingly enough, rugby writer Marc Hinton may be kicked out of the NZ rugby fraternity when he gave the ARU a major endorsement,  claiming that the future of SANZAR may be in Australia. With the southern hemisphere alliance currently at the negotiation table, Hinton believes New Zealand’s worst nightmare might also be its saving grace.

“Close your eyes, dig deep into your imagination and picture this: the Waratahs kick on to claim their first Super Rugby title, the Wallabies finally shake their All Blacks hoodoo and reclaim the Bledisloe Cup en route to a Rugby Championship triumph and Israel Folau emerges as the universally lauded best player on the planet,” Hinton wrote in his Fairfax NZ column.

“Yes, it could fairly and squarely be called a New Zealand fan’s worst nightmare. But it might also be the dream scenario for the SANZAR rugby alliance as the southern hemisphere superpowers head back to the market, desperate to beef up their main revenue stream.

“Believe it or not, Australian rugby might just be the saviour of SANZAR. If not now, maybe in the not so distant future. It’s certainly the country that holds the most upside in terms of potential growth in an alliance that’s pretty much tapped out in New Zealand and operating somewhere near maximum levels in South Africa.

“There is serious money available in the Australian broadcasting market. That much we now know. The AFL rakes in $A250 million a year for its TV rights, and the NRL is not far behind with an annual take of around $A200m. At the moment SANZAR barely manages to scrape the surface of that sort of coin.

“The problem is the mega-rich Aussie broadcasting market cares principally about domestic product. And right now rugby is playing a losing game attempting to wow that audience.”