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O'Neill's words lost in translation
August 26, 2007
John O'Neill says New Zealand rugby bosses think he's a "lunatic" and "mad".
But the boss of Australian rugby says he takes no offence and thinks his reputation as a loose cannon could even help repair trans-Tasman rugby relations.
"I know I drive the New Zealand Rugby Union mad at times," he said.
"[NZRU deputy chief executive] Steve Tew had reminded me of that since I have come back," he said, referring to his return from a stint in charge of Australian soccer.
"But I don't throw hand grenades across the ditch with the view of causing problems. It's not that I harbour any malcontent. It's just the way I am."
O'Neill started his second stint as head of Australian rugby earlier this year. He's been greeted as a breath of fresh air by his supporters.
His reception in New Zealand, which he described as mixed, has left him undeterred.
"It's in my nature to be a bit provocative and that's not such a bad thing because sometimes the NZRU comes at things very conservatively," he explains.
"I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that.
"But if you have the NZRU coming at things a little conservatively, and me from the other end of the spectrum, you usually meet in the middle.
"[The NZRU] might say 'Hold on John, that's bloody crazy', and it might well be.
"But if I start with something like a Super 20 as a crazy idea and say 'Shoot that down', we might end up with a balanced view that works for all parties."
O'Neill says his views, expressed in the Australian media, are often lost in translation when they hit the presses in New Zealand.
"Yes, the NZRU say what the hell are we going to do with this lunatic across the Tasman. But I have to pull different levers across here. I'm not sure they are necessarily sympathetic, but I think they understand that now."
O'Neill says relations between the ARU and NZRU are thawing after the fiasco over hosting rights for the 2003 World Cup and the ARU's support of Japan's bid to host the 2011 tournament.
O'Neill is at his irrepressible best in his autobiography It's Only A Game. In the rollicking read, several Kiwi rugby administrators are painted in a particularly unflattering light. David Moffett comes off worst.
O'Neill reveals the former chief executive of the New Zealand and Welsh rugby unions was given the nickname "the penciler" during the formation of Sanzar because of the copious number of notes he took at meetings.
Sunday Star Times