Player win: All Blacks work from home policy signed off

Sport Review #331

All Blacks leadership confirmed today that we could see players taking part in matches in Ugg boots and with cups of ginger lemon tea, now that the team’s work from home policy is operational.

Coach Scott Robertson said: “We saw during the pandemic how technology enables people to contribute from anywhere. Sure, things like tackling and kicking are always going to be part of our game, but we risk missing the 1%-ers that can give us an edge if we’re not using tools like Microsoft Teams.”

The workstream began when rumours circulated Johnny Sexton was planning to use a UE Boom to sledge Rieko Ioane in future matches, which lead to a remote technology deep dive.

“Participation should be location-agnostic, whether they’re are on the Sky Stadium pitch, or contributing from their living room or a shared working space,” said All Blacks People Director Jan Hardly, who denied rumours some of the team spent large parts of the first Test against France on mute.

The policy had early teething issues when players registering as working from home posted Instagram stories from Royal Wellington Golf Course, and Japan-based Richie Mo'unga tried to play for the All Blacks using a VPN, in direct conflict with the team’s overseas player rules.

“We’ll iron things out. The leadership group has responsibility, and is trained in performance management. The days of HR compliance being run through a court session are largely over,” said Scott Robertson.

Thanks for reading - Richard

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