Wynne Gray: A new rule for McAlister

Wynne Gray

What a charade. There was a rule but we could see an exemption coming and the New Zealand Rugby Union did not disappoint.

As soon as Daniel Carter's Achilles tendon gave out and Luke McAlister agreed to return to New Zealand it was just a matter of how the national selectors and the NZRU would conjure up some exemption for the returning five-eighths to play for the All Blacks.

The answer arrived yesterday. McAlister would be drip-fed from his Sale club back into the New Zealand rugby system through games for the Barbarians, then the Junior All Blacks, before being allowed to play in the Tri-Nations in July.

However if (unspecified) other test candidates were injured McAlister would be allowed to play for the All Blacks against France and Italy in June.

Staggering isn't it? It took just one injury, to Carter, for the NZRU to alter their entire philosophy, to fiddle with their own regulations which supposedly demand that a player appear in the preceding Super 14 or NPC series before being deemed available for the All Blacks.

If rugby was truly professional here, then McAlister should have returned to New Zealand and immediately become available for any level of rugby. There should be no need for him to satisfy some outdated regulation.

While the NZRU, provincial delegates and other rugby officials were all in Wellington for the past few days, scratching their navels about important rugby issues, they should also have put a big fat line through the All Black eligibility regulation.

If someone like McAlister returned, on contract, to play rugby in New Zealand then they should be available immediately to play for any side. Players could well argue that they were being deprived of some possible income.

Rescinding the stand-down rule would not force selectors to pick returning players but it would give them that choice and and they would be judged on the wisdom of their decision.

Instead, we have the verbal drivel from HQ about exercising some discretion with McAlister because of five-eighths injuries and the lack of player depth in those positions.

It was not that long ago that Carter was given the same concession, wished well for an off-season in France before a planned return to play rugby in New Zealand went awry when he was injured.

You might wonder how many five-eighths decided to remain in New Zealand this year because McAlister was offshore and, under NZRU regulations, would not be a contender for the All Blacks until the end-of-year tour when he had played in the Air New Zealand Cup.

McAlister has played for the Sale club in England for the past two seasons but has signed with the NZRU until 2012 and has been told he will be eligible for the All Blacks for the Tri-Nations series against South Africa and Australia, starting in July, and will play in the earlier series against France and Italy in June if current contenders were ruled out by injury.

NZRU chairman Jock Hobbs said he did not see the board decision as opening the floodgates for quick returns to the All Blacks by other overseas players, saying the stand-down policy was taken seriously by the union.

"But we have felt after listening to the All Blacks coaches, having regard to the injuries that we have currently in the No 10 and 12 shirts and the depth of talent, that it is an appropriate time to exercise that discretion [for McAlister]."

The exemption has been granted on the understanding McAlister will play first for the Barbarians - who face England at Twickenham on May 17 and Australia in Sydney on June 6 - and then be eligible for selection for the Junior All Blacks in the Pacific Nations Cup.