All Blacks eligibility debate won’t die with Scott Robertson’s U-turn – Editorial

Editorial

THREE KEY FACTS

• New Zealand rugby players based offshore are currently not eligible to be selected for the All Blacks.
• Coach Scott Robertson had suggested he would challenge the New Zealand Rugby board over the selection policy.
• Senior All Blacks have enjoyed short sabbaticals playing for overseas clubs.

All Blacks coach Scott “Razor” Robertson has been reigned in by New Zealand Rugby.

It was only last November that Robertson suggested he would explore an alternative selection policy with New Zealand Rugby (NZR) to keep an open mind about its overseas selection stance.

Razor rightfully looked to our greatest rivals, the Springboks, as the modern standard for using a global pool of players to build the world’s best team.

Now, however, Robertson and NZR boss Mark Robinson are singing from the same hymn sheet after he publicly backed NZR’s staunch stance of not selecting overseas-based players in an interview with the Rugby Direct podcast.

While it has seemingly ended the issue of player eligibility during Robertson’s tenure, it certainly hasn’t ended the debate.

The New Zealand market is simply too small to be inward-focused in almost every industry. Rugby, whether it likes it or not, is in the entertainment business. The money is where the audience is.

Cricket is currently discovering this reality as players shun our domestic leagues and even the opportunity to play for the Black Caps for their own financial security.

New Zealand’s rugby talent will ultimately come to the same conclusion, as a growing list of players walk for the richer French and Japanese leagues.

Stars like Ardie Savea, Beauden Barrett and Aaron Smith have pushed for a change to the selection criteria. Can you blame them? After all, each player is only one injury away from retirement.

Robertson said one of his responsibilities is to make sure our pathways are strong so we can continue the flow of quality professional players.

This is the line NZR have been running for years now. But it also displays a continued arrogance from rugby’s old guard that only our systems can create top rugby players.

The best club competitions, which now include a handful of South African teams, are in the Northern Hemisphere and have been for some time.

Perhaps the greater fear is rugby will lose its place in New Zealand’s cultural identity, as the Players' Association CEO Rob Nichol told Newstalk ZB.

But would this really happen if our best players played in Toulon, Tokyo or Twickenham?

The interim fix is for star players to enjoy a short-term sabbatical. Jordie Barrett’s six-month stint with Leinster, while committing to NZR through to 2028, is the latest example.

This is NZR trying to find a solution to what we know the players want but it is naive to think it can continue in the long term.

Perhaps, with a willing Robertson at the helm, now was the time for NZR to introduce its own “Giteau law”, named after an exemption was made for overseas-based former Australian star Matt Giteau to play for the Wallabies ahead of the 2015 World Cup.

Originally requiring 60 test caps, Australian players now need to have played 30 times for the Wallabies or five Super Rugby seasons to be eligible.

“Times are changing. Things are moving fast,” Savea said last year. “What worked five, 10, 15 years ago maybe can’t work now.”

Richie Mo’unga, who was the All Blacks' first-choice first five-eighths, left in his prime to play in Japan. Robertson said he hopes Mo’unga will return to New Zealand next year for the 2027 World Cup.

Fans won’t stand for a weaker All Blacks team.

As Robertson said: “You want all your best players available.”

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