It all seems quite surreal but New Zealand Rugby announced today it was taking sponsor INEOS owned by billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is also a part owner of Manchester United football club. The NZR alleges the petrochemical company has breached its sponsorship agreement and failed to pay the first instalment of the 2025 sponsorship fee.t. The sponsorship deal is believed to have been worth around eight million dollars a year. So how did it all come to this and was it inevitable a deal with a billionaire with reputation for a reputation for being cut throat would end on unfavourable terms for New Zealand Rugby. To help us answer that Mark Leishman speaks to RNZ digital sports reporter Jamie Wall. [picture id="4LMVBFF_jr_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"]