While international eligibility has been the talk of the 13-man code in recent days, New Zealand Rugby could review its own eligibility settings for All Blacks selection, according to Chief Rugby Officer Mike Collins.
New Zealand Rugby has so far been firm in its stance of not picking players to represent the national side unless they are playing Super Rugby for a New Zealand-based club. The most recent, high profile, case saw Richie Mo’unga deemed ineligible for All Blacks’ selection after returning from three seasons in Japan.
The policy was defended at the time with NZR citing maintaining the integrity of Super Rugby Pacific and managing the high performance needs of elite players as two important factors. Ironically, Mo’unga was eventually able to enter the All Blacks squad through a side door when he was selected for the South African tour as an injury replacement.
The issue is still one the national body is grappling with. Former All Blacks coach Scott Robertson had urged NZR to remain open minded on selecting players from overseas competitions, and the man who replaced him, Dave Rennie, has not shied away from offering similar sentiments.
The defending world champions, South Africa, have taken a very different approach to selection eligibility with many of the team’s biggest stars playing club rugby outside the republic.
Collins, who has been in the new role for just 11 weeks, says the organisation has started discussions as part of an annual review into eligibility settings. Appearing on Sport Nation Breakfast today, Collins was asked if those settings are likely to change.
'We'll be looking at that space'
“I can see a time in the not too distant future where potentially we’ll be picking All Blacks out of Australian Super Rugby teams. That’s definitely a discussion item at the moment, so yeah I can see a time when that happens,” he said.
“I don’t want to get ahead of myself or any of the outcomes but once again we’ll be looking at that space.”
New Zealand Rugby has recently opted to maintain both the National Provincial Championship and Super Rugby Pacific as its preferred male pathway system, albeit with the urban provinces merging with Super Rugby teams to reduce replication and therefore save costs.
Allowing New Zealand players to sign with Australian clubs in Super Rugby Pacific while still being available for All Blacks selection could have two key benefits: a spreading of talent to create a more even competition, and a potential reduction in wage pressures – a win for both the competition and NZR.
While Collins stressed no decisions have been made, the admission that the concept in on the table shows a willingness to investigate options that have heretofore remained off limits.
It could be a game changer for Super Rugby, but one that would likely require agreement from both the New Zealand and Australian Players’ Associations, and the respective boards.
Discussions will continue with all parties with no firm timeline given for any decision.
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