Been cogitating on this a bit more...First hurdle of getting the...

Been cogitating on this a bit more...

First hurdle of getting the 26 provincial unions to agree has been passed.

But there still seems to be a major sticking point with the players association - and these guys seem to effectively have veto power. So if they so no, then no deal.

I think that, on the balance of probabilities, this kind of deal will not be bad for Sky.

But God knows NZR need the money. And a strong NZR is good for Sky. A strong NZR that can grow participation in the game, nurture new talent and pay top players competitively so that they are less tempted to go offshore... all of those things add up to big positives for Sky in terms of attracting viewers.

So if I do have a preference (and I am not sure that I really do), it would be that the SL deal goes ahead.