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The Live Sport Bible is here!Ask Me Anything: Steve Lancaster on the future of NZ Rugby, Moana Pasifika, and more
Sport Nation • May 8th, 2026 11:47 am
Steve Lancaster | Photo: Photosport
New Zealand Rugby settled on their CEO yesterday after a near year long search.
The answer? He was in their backyard the whole time: interim CEO Steve Lancaster.
Less than 24 hours into the full time role, Lancaster joined Sport Nation Mornings to answer questions through the text line on 88 33.
Through his six months as interim CEO, Lancaster gained a new understanding of the demands of the position.
“I’ve certainly learnt a lot. One being just the sheer volume of things that come at you in this role.
"You've got to be across everything in the business, from international relationships and commercial partnerships right across to high performance and professional rugby, the community game and club rugby.
“So just the breadth of things, while not a surprise, has been a real learning curve for me.”
Asked about the biggest challenge, risk and priority facing the organisation, Lancaster said there was no single answer.
“There's a perception around the game that is uninformed and we really want to challenge and shift that perception around the junior game.
“Many of our traditional competitive advantages have been whittled away with the advent of professionalism and the growth of the game commercially.
“So we just have to work harder and harder to keep winning. And we have to look harder and harder to generate the revenue that's required to keep feeding our system from the grassroots right through to the professional game.”
Discussing success across all levels of rugby, from Super Rugby through to the grassroots game, and addressing topics including the future of Moana Pasifika, Lancaster did not shy away from the biggest and most difficult questions.
Listen to the full interview below:
