New Zealand Rugby taking legal action against Manchester United co-owners Ineos

New Zealand Rugby is taking legal action against Ineos as they claim Sir Jim Ratcliffe's company has backed out of their multi-million-pound sponsorship deal.

Ineos became the All Blacks official performance partner in 2021. The deal is claimed to be worth around £3.65m per year.

However, in a statement released to The Telegraph, New Zealand Rugby said that Ineos failed to pay the first instalment of the 2025 sponsorship fee. The Telegraph is also reporting that the All Blacks intend to remove the logo from the national team kit for their next international matches.

A statement 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 Manchester Evening News has approached Ineos for comment. However, there is no longer any mention of its All Blacks partnership on the Ineos Sports home page.

This latest development comes just weeks after it was confirmed that Ineos Britannia announced it had parted ways with Sir Ben Ainslie as the team’s challenge for the 38th America’s Cup was confirmed.

Ineos announced that, while there will be another challenge