YouTube interview ("The Man Behind NZ Rugby") in which James Laughlin speaks with Mark Robinson about his transition from All Black to CEO of New Zealand Rugby, challenges faced on taking the role during Covid (including major revenue losses), his time at Cambridge, and player welfare/brain and concussion research initiatives. The conversation emphasizes competition, leadership, and focusing on high-impact priorities.
Questions this video answers
About 30–40% of revenue.
You have no use to us on the rugby field at the moment.
Did you ever imagine when you were in All Black that you'd be sitting as a CEO, New Zealand rugby?
Yeah. Competition was always something that seemed to come naturally to me. I care deeply about our teams in black winning and continuing to win.
Of course, you did come in right. Right around Covid, which would have brought its challenges.
It was really, really brutal on rugby. You know, we lost over 30, 30 to 40% of our revenue in that first year. We moved through Covid and the world got turned upside down. When I looked through, even through Covid, we tried to do an awful lot.
You're a very busy man. The world wants a piece of you every single day, it seems. So you went to Cambridge. How did you get there and what was that experience?
All my time at Cambridge was, yeah, like I say, incredibly formative, hugely enjoyable, and was something that really opened my mind.
I love the concept of whenever you step down as an All Black, you want to leave the jersey in a better place than you find it.
How do you.
See at being left in a better place?
The work we think we're doing in player welfare and brain and concussion research is frankly world leading. Deal with a critical few, get them right. Yeah. And focus on the things, the fewer things that can have the biggest impact.
