New Zealand Rugby (NZR) will continue to have dialogue with players opposed to private equity investment in the All Blacks to build support for the sale of a minority stake to U.S. firm Silver Lake, NZR Chief Executive Mark Robinson said on Tuesday.
Silver Lake has offered to buy up to a 15 percent stake in the commercial activities of NZR in a deal which would value the world-famous All Blacks team at about [NZ] $2 billion. New Zealand media reported that the country’s players union, backed by All Blacks captain Sam Cane, had written to NZR in January saying they would block the sale, citing concerns over a loss of control and the risk of “cultural misappropriation”.
Robinson said he had spoken to some senior All Blacks who remained “open-minded” to Silver Lake’s proposal. “I’ve spoken to some of the players that did sign that letter and what I’m hearing is that it was at a time and place, some time ago now, and things have changed markedly in terms of the amount of information to consider before ultimately making a decision,” he told reporters on Tuesday.”
Read more/Source: ESPN
