New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has launched legal action against Ineos after the company, which is founded and run by the British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, allegedly dropped a sponsorship agreement with three years remaining. Ineos branding appears on jerseys and other clothing worn by the men’s and women’s senior sides – the All Blacks and Black Ferns – as well as the New Zealand Māori team and New Zealand sevens teams after a deal signed in 2022, which was due to continue until 2028.
New Zealand Rugby said on Tuesday the first instalment of the 2025 sponsorship had not been paid by the global chemical giant and it had no choice but to proceed with legal action. Their chief communications officer, Paul Stevens, said NZR “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’ decision to walk away three years early, we have moved to protect the interests of New Zealand Rugby and the wider game,” Stevens added. “We have been left with no option but to launch legal proceedings to protect our commercial position.”. The sponsorship deal is believed to be worth around 4.5m US dollars per year (£3.64m/NZ $8m). Stevens added that NZR “is actively pursuing new commercial opportunities and global interest in the All Blacks and other teams in black remains high.”.
Ratcliffe is a minority shareholder in Premier League football club Manchester United, and his company sponsors the British America’s Cup sailing team and the Ineos Grenadiers professional cycling team. Sign up to The Breakdown. The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed. after newsletter promotion. Ineos, which also owns European football teams Nice (France) and Lausanne-Sport (Switzerland), has not responded to NZR’s statement at time of writing.
