Graham Henry

Auckland, Dec 8 NZPA - All Blacks coach Graham Henry has waded into the Air New Zealand Cup rugby debate, calling on administrators to stick to the format they agreed on earlier this year.

The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) proposed to abandon the present 14-team format in favour of a 10-team top tier and a six-team middle tier which would include two teams presently in the Heartland Rugby Competition.

But following a competitive Air NZ Cup this year, the NZRU is reportedly rethinking the format, something Henry disagreed with.

"They spent a lot of time and everyone said `yeah that's what we want', and I think that's what they should stick by," he said.

"I just think if you're going to go forward you've just got to have an integrity and go by what you say, otherwise you're always going to have these problems."