Silver Lake, backed by institutional investors and large pension funds, isn’t known for doing deals in Aotearoa. Silver Lake isn’t a charity investor and will want a decent return on its money. Selling a slice of the All Blacks makes commercial sense. NZ Rugby gets a much-needed cash injection while Silver Lake gets lucrative exposure to one of the world’s best-known sports teams. While a partial sale of commercial rights is unlikely to reshape the game here, future investments in leagues and competitions would present a more radical shift.

Source: Stuff January 24, 2021 15:56 UTC