Brodie Retallick and Beauden Barrett are believed to be close to agreeing new deals with New Zealand Rugby. Photo / Photosport
Brodie Retallick and Beauden Barrett are believed to be close to agreeing new deals with New Zealand Rugby. Photo / Photosport
Brodie Retallick is close to agreeing a new contract with New Zealand Rugby which could allow him to miss not only all of next year's Super Rugby season, but all international rugby.
The Herald also understands that another key All Black, first-five Beauden Barrett, is also close to signing anew deal.
But, unlike lock Retallick, who is likely to play for a Japanese Top League club in 2020 and into early 2021 which will represent an extended stint away from New Zealand, Barrett will probably agree on a non-playing sabbatical at a yet-to-be-confirmed date, a break made popular by former All Black Richie McCaw and, more recently, Ben Smith.
Retallick's expected absence next year explains why New Zealand Rugby so readily agreed to allow Sam Whitelock, the next All Blacks skipper-in-waiting, to remain available for the national team on his return from his shorter-term contract with Panasonic.
Whitelock won't play for the Crusaders in 2020 but it will be business as usual for him as far as the All Blacks are concerned once the international season kicks off. And while Steve Hansen's successor might be comfortable without one world-leading lock in Retallick, to have both unavailable would be far more challenging.
Jerome Kaino and Ben Smith both benefitted from sabbaticals. Photo / Photosport
If Retallick isn't available it will allow Crusaders and Blues locks Scott Barrett and Patrick Tuipulotu, respectively, to stake claims, with Tom Franklin also likely to be in the mix if his recent performances for the Highlanders are anything to go by.
Retallick, a 27-year-old who has played 75 tests, is a crucial part of the All Black pack but was badly affected by injuries last year and will be targeting two seasons in Japan – next year the Top League runs from January to May and starts again in October until February – as a lucrative way of extending his career.
The Japanese club game is far less physical than Super Rugby and Retallick may feel, should he emulate Whitelock and sign a four-year deal as expected, that he has a good three seasons in him in New Zealand once he returns.
Former All Blacks loose forward Jerome Kaino, who spent two years in Japan representing Toyota Verblitz immediately after the 2011 World Cup, said the time away from the grind of Super Rugby helped him enormously. Kaino excelled on his return to the Blues and All Blacks in 2014 and is still playing for Toulouse at the age of 36.
Beauden Barrett, like Retallick aged 27 and a former World Rugby player of the year, has played 73 tests.
Beauden Barrett is expected to take time off playing after the World Cup while Brodie Retallick could miss all Super Rugby and tests next season. Photo / Photosport
While Retallick's potential decision to miss an entire All Blacks season is a little surprising, so too is Barrett's to agree to a non-playing sabbatical rather than take up a big-money deal elsewhere. He was particularly sought after in France, with Lyon last year reportedly offering him a contract worth $2.6 million a year. Stade Francais, Montpellier and Racing 92 were also said to be interested.
Crusader Richie Mo'unga will be Barrett's back-up at the World Cup, which kicks off in September, but the pair are out on their own as New Zealand's premier playmakers and neither the Hurricanes nor the All Blacks would enjoy the prospect of planning for Barrett's departure.
"First prize for us is that he stays at the Hurricanes is in some capacity," Hurricanes coach John Plumtree told Radio Sport this week.
"There might be a sabbatical involved or he might decide to go and play overseas. The chats that I've had with him have all been pretty positive around playing for New Zealand Rugby and his future in New Zealand Rugby, so I think we can probably wait for the rest."
