NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Rugby / All Blacks

All Blacks v Italy: Harry Plummer’s exit another blow to New Zealand playmaking stocks - Liam Napier

Liam Napier
By Liam Napier
Senior Sports Journalist·NZ Herald·
19 Nov, 2024 11:39 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Hīkoi:peaceful protest throughout the nine-days comes to an end, Roads: concrete or asphalt?, Diver killed in Chatham Islands shark attack and Wayne Brown looking to scrap CCOs.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

THREE KEY FACTS

  • 2023 Super Rugby winner Harry Plummer has signed with French club Clermont on a three-year deal
  • Despite his All Blacks debut, Plummer faces stiff competition for game time
  • Plummer’s move to France highlights the erosion of depth in New Zealand rugby

Liam Napier has been a sports journalist since 2010, and his work has taken him to World Cups in rugby, netball and cricket, boxing world title fights and Commonwealth Games.

OPINION

Losing Harry Plummer to France won’t immediately shake New Zealand Rugby’s foundations to the core but it is a more significant blow than many may grasp at first.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

On a personal level, Plummer’s move to join French club Clermont on a lucrative three-year deal – following one final Super Rugby Pacific campaign with the Blues next season – makes perfect sense.

While the timing is somewhat surprising, as the 26-year-old enters his prime years as a maturing playmaker, life-changing paydays such as these aren’t as common as they once were.

New Zealand rugby players remain valuable commodities on the global scene but after the post-Covid salary cap and marquee signing reductions in Europe, bumper contracts such as Plummer’s are harder to attain.

Striking while his form, prominence and one All Blacks appearance are hot therefore ensures Plummer will cash in at the right time.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Having earned his one All Blacks appearance off the bench against the Wallabies in Sydney in September, Plummer weighed up the desire to push for further tests in the coming years.

The reality, though, is he sits behind Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie and Stephen Perofeta in the national pecking order. And with Richie Mo’unga expected to return from Japan one year early – in time for next year’s All Blacks season – Plummer’s pathway to game-time in the black jersey will become more congested, not less.

The All Blacks aren’t everything, of course.

With his steady head and dogged attitude, Plummer was instrumental in guiding the Blues to their first Super Rugby title in 21 attempts earlier this year.

Discover more

All Blacks

Liam Napier: Highs, lows, and lessons from Razor's first season

18 Nov 04:31 PM
All Blacks

All Blacks fade as France slip through Kiwi fingers in Paris

16 Nov 10:39 PM
Opinion

Liam Napier: Why the All Blacks hold the upper hand over vulnerable French

14 Nov 02:00 AM
All Blacks

Liam Napier: How Razor lit the fuse on his own Bomb Squad

10 Nov 12:00 AM
Harry Plummer celebrates. Photo / Photosport
Harry Plummer celebrates. Photo / Photosport

Season after season, the Blues embraced superstar first five-eighths – only for the unheralded local lad to emerge as the perfect foil for Vern Cotter’s direct, confrontational, championship-winning blueprint.

The Blues are seriously stacked in the playmaker ranks, with Barrett, Perofeta, Plummer and Zarn Sullivan all on their books for 2025.

Elsewhere, though, Super Rugby rivals would cry out for Plummer’s services.

The impact of Plummer’s imminent departure is best illustrated by the fact the Crusaders, Highlanders and Hurricanes would all welcome him with open arms.

This is why his exit represents a greater erosion of depth than many realise. The same is true for Fergus Burke’s departure from the Crusaders to English club Saracens.

Plummer is an astute signing for Clermont – a mid-table Top 14 side. His versatility – equally comfortable at No 10 or 12 and capable of slotting in at fullback – goalkicking and defensive qualities mark him out as a highly desirable asset.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Shifting to Europe has proven humbling for some New Zealand playmakers. Lima Sopoaga endured criticism after his $1 million move to now-defunct English club Wasps fell flat, and Aaron Cruden found adjusting to the physical French game in Montpellier challenging too.

There are other Kiwi success stories, though, with fellow underrated Blues first five Ihaia West last year savouring European championship success with French club La Rochelle.

Plummer’s composed approach and comparative size for a playmaker will suit the French game.

The mental resilience he’s developed after overcoming multiple shoulder issues, two heart surgeries and the adversity attached to coping with social media criticism should provide the necessary resolve to navigate demanding club owners and allow Plummer to make his mark on the French scene.

As a passionate Aucklander, Plummer will be driven to deliver the Blues back-to-back championships in 2025 before embarking on his next French chapter.

But in time, once he departs, Plummer’s true value to the Blues and New Zealand rugby may become apparent.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Liam Napier has been a sports journalist since 2010, and his work has taken him to World Cups in rugby, netball and cricket, boxing world title fights and Commonwealth Games.


Save

    Share this article

Latest from All Blacks

All Blacks

All Blacks make widespread changes for final French test

Watch
Premium
OpinionGregor Paul

Gregor Paul: The risks in Razor's change-heavy All Blacks side

All Blacks

All Blacks team naming: 10 changes to side to face France


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from All Blacks

All Blacks make widespread changes for final French test
All Blacks

All Blacks make widespread changes for final French test

Liam Napier and Elliott Smith discuss All Blacks team for third French test.

Watch
17 Jul 06:14 AM
Premium
Premium
Gregor Paul: The risks in Razor's change-heavy All Blacks side
Gregor Paul
OpinionGregor Paul

Gregor Paul: The risks in Razor's change-heavy All Blacks side

17 Jul 01:33 AM
All Blacks team naming: 10 changes to side to face France
All Blacks

All Blacks team naming: 10 changes to side to face France

16 Jul 11:52 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP