Former All Blacks blast Rugby Australia chair Hamish McLennan after Super Rugby threat

Sir John Kirwan, Mils Muliaina and Jeff Wilson have put the boot into Rugby Australia chair Hamish McLennan for the timing and the nature of his threat to walk away from Super Rugby Pacific.

In a move widely seen as a tactic to extract more money from New Zealand Rugby, McLennan said last week that “all bets were off” after the two-year-contract for Super Rugby Pacific ends next year.

That provoked an angry response from the trio of former All Blacks on The Breakdown on Sunday, who saw it as a cynical and unnecessary bargaining tactic that would put stress on Super Rugby Pacific newcomers Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua.

Meanwhile New Zealand take on Ireland at Eden Park at 7.05pm next Saturday in the first of three test matches while Australia take on England, South Africa play Wales, Argentina take on Scotland and Japan play France.

Fiji will play Tonga in their first Pacific Nations Cup match at the ANZ Stadium next Saturday.

[Source: Stuff.co]