NZ Rugby starts legal action against major sponsor Ineos

New Zealand Rugby is taking legal action against major backer Ineos and have accused the company of breaching their lucrative sponsorship deal.

In a statement today, New Zealand Rugby said that Ineos, which agreed a six-year deal to become official performance partner to the All Blacks until 2027, failed to pay the first instalment of the 2025 sponsorship deal, "confirming its decision to exit our six-year agreement".

NZR will now take steps to remove the Ineos brand from its training jerseys and the shorts players wear during Tests.

According to the United Kingdom's Daily Telegraph, a page on Ineos’ website about the partnership with NZR now says “page not found”.

Petro-chemical brand Ineos, owned by Englishman Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is also a co-owner of Premier League club Manchester United.

The deal between Ineos and NZR was announced in July 2021 and is understood to be worth $8million a year. It began in 2022 and was due to run until 2027.

Ineos promised to fuse expertise in Formula One, cycling, sailing and football as “part of a unique sport performance group”.

The deal was criticised at the time by Greenpeace, who said it fundamentally went against New Zealand's “clean, green” values.

A statement from NZR said: “New Zealand Rugby is disappointed that Ineos has breached its sponsorship agreement. Most recently, it failed to pay the first instalment of the 2025 sponsorship fee, confirming its decision to exit our six-year agreement.

“Having learned of Ineos’s decision to walk away three years early, we have moved to protect the interests of New Zealand Rugby and the wider game. We have been left with no option but to launch legal proceedings to protect our commercial position.

“NZR is actively pursuing new commercial opportunities and global interest in the All Blacks and other Teams in Black remains high. We are committed to being world class on and off the field and deliver unique value to sponsors through our iconic brands.”

The Ineos developments come on top of a controversy attached to another major NZR sponsor, Altrad, based in France.

Two years ago NZR said they could reconsider their huge deal with the construction company after owner Mohed Altrad was found guilty of corruption.

The scandal also involved Bernard Laporte who at the time was World Rugby’s vice-president and a key member of the French Federation.

All of NZR's top teams feature “Altrad” on the front of their playing jerseys.

Despite the scandal and the potential for it to taint the All Blacks' brand, NZR did not walk away from the deal.