New Zealand national rugby union team

A red card could ruin the Rugby World Cup final – the game needs fairer, safer rulings on the field

Retrieved on: 
Friday, October 27, 2023

Close to the final whistle, with France now up 96-0, the Namibian desert turned yellower still.

Key Points: 
  • Close to the final whistle, with France now up 96-0, the Namibian desert turned yellower still.
  • Wayne Barnes, who will referee the RWC final between New Zealand and South Africa this weekend, is also a barrister by trade.
  • As such, he will know where the onus should lie when critical decisions need to be taken in a trial between two elite teams.

Unfair and unsafe

  • The spectacle is lost whenever there is a mismatch in numbers.
  • In a collision contest, 14 against 15 hurts the game; 13 against 15 is unwatchable – and dangerous.
  • As one would expect, it is generally the weaker of the two teams, already struggling to put up a defence, that concedes penalties and haemorrhages players.
  • It is also unsafe.

Bad rules mean bad results

  • It put Dupont out of the quarterfinal with South Africa, and may have accounted for France’s knife-edge loss in that game.
  • If they are specified in the rules, the rules need revisiting.
  • Yes, rules are central to the integrity of the game.
  • When calls are marginal and the impacts disproportionate, however, the rules need to change.

Rugby can learn from other codes

  • Each week of the playing season the AFL tribunal assesses the citations and dishes out penalties where warranted – typically suspensions – based on thorough, defended inspection.
  • Read more:
    Professional men's rugby has major financial issues which need to be tackled

    Rugby union would be improved if sendings off were reserved for genuinely bad actors.

  • If the offence occurs elsewhere, rugby could borrow from AFL, with a penalty given 50 metres closer to the offending team’s goal line (up to the five-metre line).
  • No matter where on the field the crime occurred, a penalty try should be awarded between the posts.

Hopes for a fair final

  • This will be especially important at the Stade de France in Paris this weekend when the All Blacks and South Africa both go for a record fourth Rugby World Cup title.
  • Only if the case is beyond doubt on the visible evidence should there be an unlevel playing field for ten or more minutes.


Clive Thompson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

National CineMedia Teams with Religion of Sports for Content Partnership on the Big Screen

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Each of Religion of Sports’ sixty-second episodes will feature a human-interest story where sports had an impact on an individual, team or community.

Key Points: 
  • Each of Religion of Sports’ sixty-second episodes will feature a human-interest story where sports had an impact on an individual, team or community.
  • Today, these super fans of sports are seeking to consume their sports content in digestible shorter form snippets.
  • In fact, they are more likely to get their sports content everywhere except TV.
  • Religion of Sports has built a foundation around telling stories and showcasing the greatness in the greatest.

A retiring NZ MP has suggested joining Australia – we should at least think about it (before saying no)

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Big policy ideas usually don’t come up in parliamentary valedictory speeches – they’re for saying goodbye and thank you.

Key Points: 
  • Big policy ideas usually don’t come up in parliamentary valedictory speeches – they’re for saying goodbye and thank you.
  • So departing Labour MP Jamie Strange was the exception last week when he made a case for New Zealand and Australia becoming one country.
  • But he talked up the potential economic benefits, and the option does remain open under sections 6 and 121 of the Australian Constitution.

A simplified relationship

    • Political union would simplify the relationship: trade would be more efficient, social and cultural ties might be strengthened, passports wouldn’t be needed and banking would be easier.
    • Indeed, an Australian parliamentary committee recommended political union in 2006, but the New Zealand prime minister at the time, Helen Clark, rejected the idea.
    • The then opposition leader, Don Brash, said it should at least be considered, but found little support.

From nation to state

    • Current constitutional arrangements would mean New Zealand simply became a state of the existing Commonwealth of Australia.
    • It would elect members to the federal parliament, but it would no longer have an independent voice in international forums.
    • Under the Australian Constitution, the New Zealand state parliament would be responsible for schooling, hospitals and transport, among the reserve powers of the Australian states.

The Voice and the Treaty

    • In Australia, opinion polls are showing the proposed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament doesn’t have the support it needs to pass a referendum later this year.
    • But even then, the idea that Māori people have a voice in government is largely accepted.
    • Australia’s prime minister argues that the Voice is a matter of justice because “it is common courtesy to consult people when you’re taking a decision that affects them”.

Culture and public life

    • There is no guaranteed Indigenous representation in either house and Australia would no doubt struggle to accept Māori representation.
    • At best, there might be two or three Māori seats in the lower house.
    • In reality, the Māori presence in public life gives New Zealand a cultural certainty and security that is not so evident in Australia.
    • Samoan, Tongan, Chinese and Dutch MPs (among others) occasionally speak their languages in parliament as statements of identity and belonging.

New Zealand Rugby Kicks off Game-Changing New Partnership With Image-Streaming Company SmartFrame to Gain Full Ownership of Its Images

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023

The SmartFrame model assigns the rights to these images to NZR and allows the organisation to profit from the revenues generated by occasional in-image advertising that will be displayed within the images.

Key Points: 
  • The SmartFrame model assigns the rights to these images to NZR and allows the organisation to profit from the revenues generated by occasional in-image advertising that will be displayed within the images.
  • SmartFrame’s official images will be exclusively distributed online using the company’s innovative image-streaming technology.
  • The $4bn image licensing industry has been in decline for over a decade, due to low-cost licensing and mass misuse of JPEG images.
  • Rob Sewell , CEO of SmartFrame Technologies, said: “This first-of-its-kind partnership with New Zealand Rugby marks a significant shift, not just in the sports image industry, but across the entire image ecosystem.

EQS-News: action press official photo partner of New Zealand Rugby flagship 'All Blacks' team

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023

On this occasion, action press is establishing a technology partnership with SmartFrame for the digital photo market.

Key Points: 
  • On this occasion, action press is establishing a technology partnership with SmartFrame for the digital photo market.
  • For coverage of all All Blacks matches and other official dates in New Zealand and abroad, action press has built up a ten-strong team of experienced professional sports photographers in New Zealand and otherwise uses its own global network of photographers, established over decades.
  • New Zealand Rugby is among the first major sports brands to recognize the potential of the fast-growing digital advertising market to create sustainable value.
  • The official photo collection of New Zealand Rugby can be found here: https://images.nzrugby.co.nz/

HUBLOT LAUNCHES TWO NFTs WITH TAKASHI MURAKAMI

Retrieved on: 
Friday, April 1, 2022

NYON, Switzerland, April 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hublot and Takashi Murakami are pushing back the boundaries of artistic expression by presenting two NFT digital works. These are inspired by the Hublot Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black and the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow, the first two watches launched jointly by the Swiss watchmaker and the great Japanese artist in 2021. These two limited editions of 200 and 100 pieces respectively were sold out in just a few days.

Key Points: 
  • To coincide with the international tradeshow, Watches & Wonders, Hublot and Takashi Murakami will be presenting two NFT digital works, inspired by the Hublot Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami watches
    NYON, Switzerland, April 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hublot and Takashi Murakami are pushing back the boundaries of artistic expression by presenting two NFT digital works.
  • These are inspired by the Hublot Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black and the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow, the first two watches launched jointly by the Swiss watchmaker and the great Japanese artist in 2021.
  • "Our collaboration with Takashi Murakami has led us to digital art, a field of expression in which Hublot has become a pioneer on the watchmaking planet.
  • The launch of the Hublot Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami NFTs will be supported by a very arty promotional campaign, based on the principles of guerrilla marketing.

HUBLOT LAUNCHES TWO NFTs WITH TAKASHI MURAKAMI

Retrieved on: 
Friday, April 1, 2022

These are inspired by the Hublot Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black and the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow, the first two watches launched jointly by the Swiss watchmaker and the great Japanese artist in 2021.

Key Points: 
  • These are inspired by the Hublot Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black and the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow, the first two watches launched jointly by the Swiss watchmaker and the great Japanese artist in 2021.
  • "Our collaboration with Takashi Murakami has led us to digital art, a field of expression in which Hublot has become a pioneer on the watchmaking planet.
  • From now on, NFTs will be an integral part of our 'Hublot loves art' artistic world."
  • The launch of the Hublot Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami NFTs will be supported by a very arty promotional campaign, based on the principles of guerrilla marketing.

FM Approvals Is Accredited by the Standards Council of Canada as a Certification Body for the ISASecure® Control System Cybersecurity Conformance Scheme

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 5, 2021

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Oct. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --The Standards Council of Canada recently accredited FM Approvals to be an ISASecure certification body (CB).

Key Points: 
  • RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Oct. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --The Standards Council of Canada recently accredited FM Approvals to be an ISASecure certification body (CB).
  • FM Approvals is now authorized to issue certificates of conformance for the ISA/IEC 62443-based ISASecure automation and control systems cybersecurity certification scheme upon successful completion of the required testing.
  • FM Approvals joins the growing list of highly specialized and internationally recognized ISASecure CBs that assess and certify automation and control system products to the ISA/IEC 62443 family of standards.
  • "We thank our collaborators at the Standards Council of Canada and the energetic team at FM Approvals, LLC," stated Andre Ristaino, ISCI Managing Director.