Ineos signs with All Blacks for six years

Mathieu WARNIER, Media365, posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 at 7:55 pm.

Amid economic difficulties and the search for a new major partner, the New Zealand Rugby Union announced on Wednesday that Ineos has been on its side for six years.

Jim Ratcliffe extends his influence as far as New Zealand. After his commitment to cycling with the team that bears his name, football through the acquisition of clubs Lausanne and Nice, in sailing in partnership with Ben Ainsley for the America’s Cup or even in Formula 1 with entering the capital of the United States. Team Mercedes, the Ineos group takes a foothold in the rugby world and does so through the front door. Indeed, the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZR) formalized on Wednesday with a press release to sign a partnership over the next six years with the British petrochemical group. From 2022 to 2028, the All Blacks and all other New Zealand rugby teams will work with Ineos Sport Group “to identify opportunities for performance gains”. Amid the search for a new major partner following the announced departure of US insurer AIG at the end of 2021, the arrival of Ineos may be part of the financial fresh air balloon expected by NZR leaders.

Not everyone satisfied…

According to NZR President Mark Robinson, this partnership with Ineos is an “exciting new adventure” that should allow the All Blacks “to work alongside some of the best sports teams in the world.” For his part, Ineos Group President Jim Ratcliffe made no secret of his satisfaction. “We are delighted to partner with Team All Blacks,” the businessman said in a statement. They have always shown the courage and determination to perform at the highest sporting level and we can learn a lot from them. However, Ineos’ commitment to New Zealand’s rugby teams, which will display the brand’s logo on their shorts, does not fit the Greenpeace environmental association. “Many of our rugby players are of Maori descent or descendants of the Pacific peoples, and they are frontline residents of rising sea levels and torrential rains,” said Jorisa Lee, director of the New Zealand Federation. They should not be required to wear a climate polluter tag such as Ineos. “Considerations that the NZR chiefs clearly did not take into account.