This time of year, Richie Mo’unga would normally be preparing for the All Blacks’ first test of the season. But in 2024, the All Blacks’ series opener against England will look very different.
For a start, he won’t have the No 10 jersey on his back, and will instead be involved in helping fans to Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium, in tandem with the Alternative Commentary Collective as part of the Export Ultra Pre-Game.
The 30-year-old will be front and centre with Export Ultra and Ritchies buses, with two convoys driving fans from the Kensington Pub in time to watch the All Blacks begin the Scott Robertson era.
While still involved in the game, being involved with Export Ultra is merely consolation for Mo’unga.
At the end of 2022, Mo’unga signed a three-year deal with Japanese side Toshiba Brave Lupus that ended any hope of playing for the All Blacks this year, due to current selection rules.
In a sense, it’s a cruel blow for Mo’unga, who won’t be able to replicate his Crusaders success with Robertson and new All Blacks captain Scott Barrett.
And even though he’s still coming to terms with the fact he won’t personally run out on to Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday, Mo’unga is more than content with his decision.
“It’s pretty weird to be honest,” Mo’unga told the Herald. “You’re thinking you could be playing and you wish you were in the mix.
“But I’m just a fan now, and just like every other Kiwi, I’m right behind Razor and his team, and I can’t wait to watch them unleash on the English.
“That was the decision I made, to go to Japan. I knew this would come, I knew this was the sacrifice I’m making.
“But I’m still really excited and pumped to see the boys go to work.”
Like he’d done with the Crusaders for seven successive years, Mo’unga’s first season in Japan ended in triumph, as he and fellow ex-All Black Shannon Frizell inspired the Brave Lupus to the title.
However, since becoming head coach in 2023, Robertson has urged the national organisation to keep an “open mind” over its stance on overseas-based All Blacks.
Only Robertson himself could tell you if that’s a direct attempt to reunite with Mo’unga. But given Robertson has referred to Mo’unga as his quarterback, it’s no secret that wanting to have him available is present in the coach’s thoughts.
Earlier this year, New Zealand Rugby’s head of professional rugby Chris Lendrum told the Rugby Direct podcast attempts have been made to see Mo’unga break his contract with Toshiba and return to Aotearoa early, and therefore be eligible for the All Blacks again.
The Herald understands Mo’unga’s current contract in Japan is worth upwards of $2 million per season, money that he would not be able to earn if contracted to New Zealand Rugby (NZR).
For Mo’unga, though, there has been no thought of getting out early and he remains committed to the contract he signed.
“To be honest, we haven’t even had those conversations. I finished my competition about a month ago, and my phone’s been on airplane mode.
“I haven’t reached out to NZR or had catch-ups with anyone to see what that looks like.
“It’s been a busy time. We went straight from Super Rugby to the All Blacks to the World Cup and then straight over to Japan.
“I will say I’m enjoying my time in Japan, and me and my family can’t wait to go back next season.”
Robertson’s comments over being open-minded point towards the desire to see All Blacks picked while playing outside of New Zealand.
At present, only Ireland and England join New Zealand in not allowing overseas-based players to win national selection.
The biggest risk should NZR deviate, though, would be a flood of players leaving home shores for larger contracts abroad, and therefore weakening both Super Rugby Pacific and the NPC.
Mo’unga understands this more than most, and does not want any special treatment in that regard.
However, after seeing the likes of Charles Piutau (2015), Malakai Fekitoa, Lima Sopoaga (both 2017) and Leicester Fainga’anuku (2023) put their families first, Mo’unga says the modern realities of rugby must be embraced to keep the best players available.
“It’d be easy for me to say yes, because I’m in Japan. But these rules are in place to protect New Zealand Rugby and to make sure our Super Rugby competition is strong as ever.
“I will say they need to put something in place. You’re going to see a lot more Kiwi players leaving New Zealand to play in Japan.
“You will see players leaving way earlier than what New Zealand players were leaving four or five years ago. We’ve seen many leave already, the likes of Leicester, who’s still just a baby.
“So you want plans in place to protect those players as well, so they’re not heading off overseas.”
In terms of his own All Blacks career, Mo’unga definitely feels a sense of unfinished business.
After ending up on the wrong side of last year’s World Cup final defeat to South Africa, Mo’unga’s Japanese contract would end in time for him to return and have another shot in 2027.
In tandem with Robertson after a full four-year cycle, you’d be hard pressed to bet against the All Blacks contending for the next tournament, to be held in Australia.
And with his eye on 2026 at the earliest, Mo’unga makes no secret he’s not finished in the black jersey.
“I still feel like I’m in my prime,” he added. “I’m peaking now.
“You want to be playing for the All Blacks. I want to be putting my name there in a couple of years’ time, come World Cup. That’s the ultimate goal, to head to Australia and win a World Cup.”
Since 2015, Australia has made use of the “Giteau Law”, where players who meet certain criteria are allowed to play overseas and remain eligible for the Wallabies.
Currently in its third iteration, the Giteau Law requires players who have won 30 test caps for the Wallabies or played five seasons of Super Rugby are eligible while overseas, albeit only for three players at a time.
And asked if he’d like to see NZR implement a “Mo’unga law”, the former All Black nailed his colours to the mast.
“I wouldn’t mind that rule – I just wouldn’t want it to be called that,” he joked.
“Every rugby club is different and every country has their own rules, but I left knowing that these were the rules and I wouldn’t be able to play All Blacks in 2024 and 2025.
“I did that knowing in the future I will have the time where I can push my case again.
“That’s still my plan.”
Alex Powell is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016, and previously worked for both Newshub and 1News.
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