Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan has offered New Zealand Rugby a larger share of any private equity investment in a trans-Tasman tournament as part of ongoing talks between the unions over the future of the game.

The ‘trans-Tasman’ tournament  under discussion would cut the extensive travelling commitments of the current Super Rugby competition by excluding South African and Argentinian teams, and also help relieve the financial burden of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As of yet, no agreement has been reached as negotiations have stalled due to escalating tensions between the unions this week following the revelations of findings from the NZR’s Aratipu review into the future of Super Rugby.

Last week, McLennan said NZR was trying to dictate terms in a way that ‘feels a bit master-servant at the moment’.

But over the past weekend, he changed his tune. Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, McLennan said the unions are stronger together.

‘More teams equal more broadcast dollars, which will lead to private equity investment if that’s the way we decide to go. I think even if the Kiwis got slightly more of a return out of that investment that would be entirely fair, and we both need more investment into our respective unions.

‘This runs the risk of turning into a squabble where everyone begins to forget what they were fighting for in the beginning.’

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