“The reasons for him wanting to do that were that he clearly felt that, through the career choices he’d made following the 2023 World Cup, they’d taken him away from his home for too long.
“He hadn’t been living in the family home for various reasons because he’d been in Japan, then he moved up to Auckland.”
Paul said that New Zealand Rugby’s sabbatical clause allowed senior players with long-term contracts to take time off or play overseas for a period.
“Once they’ve reached or won 70 test caps and they re-sign a long-term contract, three years-plus, then they have the right to negotiate.
“I think it’s up to about six months where they can either not play, which is what current captain Scott Barrett has chosen to do. He is not playing in Super Rugby or he’ll return late for the last few games.
“Or, they have the right to use those sabbatical periods to go and play elsewhere. Typically, it’s in Japan because it aligns with the New Zealand season. They go off to Japan, earn incredible amounts of money, come back, and are still eligible to carry on playing for the All Blacks.
“Now, where the problem might lie is this idea that these guys can have a short period of time offshore, get a different playing experience, get a different lifestyle experience, and continue to be All Blacks.
“But, I think the Ardie example here shows the danger that, if you don’t manage that process particularly well, because he went to play in Japan in 2024, and he’s there again this year, which has made life very difficult.
“Too much rugby, too much time away from home, and I think what we need to look at, or what New Zealand Rugby certainly needs to look at, is whether they can endorse that in future and whether they need to be careful about how much time they give these guys to go and sow their wild oats for one of a better term somewhere else.”
Read Gregor Paul’s full Herald Premium piece.
Listen to the full episode to hear more about:
- How the sabbatical system works
- Broader All Blacks problems
- Culture and discipline
- What comes next?
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5pm. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting. She joined NZME in 2016.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
