Aotearoa Rugby Pod | Episode 2: Bryn Hall, James Parsons respond to sensational player poll results
The release of results from an anonymous player poll this week has shed the light on the real opinions of professional players about the state of the game in New Zealand.
The findings, which stem from a 40-question survey conducted by NZME‘s Sam Casey among “over 100 players” in Super Rugby Aotearoa, have been revealing to say the least.
Perhaps the biggest discovery was that almost half of the players polled disagreed with New Zealand Rugby’s decision to appoint Ian Foster as All Blacks head coach, while a further 26 percent were unhappy with his selection of assistants.
One of the other significant revelations throughout the week was that more than half of those surveyed believe that NZR isn’t doing enough to keep its talent from heading overseas.
In recent years, there have been many star players who have turned their back on playing for the All Blacks either prematurely or in the prime of their career to instead ply their trade for cashed up clubs in the UK, Europe and Japan.
The riches on offer in the Northern Hemisphere club game dwarfs that what of NZR and Super Rugby can provide, leaving the national union and the five Kiwi franchises with an uphill battle to keep hold of their players.
The concept of sabbaticals, whereby players re-commit themselves to the All Blacks and NZR on long-term deals with the option to take up a short-term contract abroad, usually Japan, has since become an oft-used clause in contract negotiations for New Zealand’s top stars.
The most recent example of a New Zealand star utilising a sabbatical clause is Blues playmaker Beauden Barrett, who will join Top League giants Suntory Sungoliath next year on a deal reportedly worth $1.5m before returning to New Zealand following Super Rugby.
Barrett last year inked a four-year contract with the Blues and NZR that will see him stay in New Zealand until 2023, but whether he would have stayed in his homeland is doubtful had the option to take a sabbatical overseas was unavailable.
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Still, it seems the majority of New Zealand’s playing contingent believe there isn’t enough being done to maintain the nation’s playing talent.
However, Crusaders halfback Bryn Hall and Blues hooker James Parsons have leaped to NZR’s defence in their most recent appearance on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod.
Speaking ahead of his side’s top-of-the-table Super Rugby Aotearoa clash against Parsons’ Blues this weekend, Hall said NZR had struck a good balance between the development of young players and the retention of established stars through the evolution of sabbaticals.
“We’ve done pretty well, considering 10 years ago, I think the ability to have a sabbatical was foreign, it never happened, whereas now there’s an understanding in the market that you need to evolve and to keep our players here as well,” the three-time Super Rugby champion said.
“Bringing in the new stars, and being able to see those guys go away, and bring in a new cab of ranks – the guys we’ve been talking about, the new superstars coming through, the young fellas coming through – you’ve just got the opportunity to play because they’ve gone.
“I think we’ve got the balance really good. I think we can keep continuing to try and keep the older guys here, especially guys like Beaudy who are getting sabbaticals, but keep continuing to grow our young fellas, giving the opportunities to perform at a high level early in their careers.”
Parsons doubled down on his North Harbour teammate’s comments, highlighting that the lure of the All Blacks jersey is still evident despite the outflow of players abroad.
“I think we’re world-leading in terms of the sense that we’ve really kept the power of the All Black jersey whilst giving guys the opportunity to do sabbaticals or make some extra cash on the side, because we don’t want to get to a point where we’re selecting from overseas,” the two-test All Black said.
“Keeping that aura and the power of that All Black jersey is the key to success, and I think New Zealand Rugby’s got the balance of that right.”
Many have speculated that the COVID-19 outbreak could reduce the number of players who leave New Zealand for overseas contracts given the financial implications that have come with the pandemic.
Players and staff worldwide have been made redundant and forced to take pay cuts as a result of the sudden halt in games, but Hall said the way in which the situation has been handled in New Zealand has been “fantastic” compared to other nations.
“The alignment of the New Zealand [Rugby] Players’ Association, all the teams that were involved in having open-minded communication and trying to talk around solutions and everything like that,” he said.
“You hear about the Aussie boys and the amount of complaining that was happening over there.
“I think considering how we went through and the kind of leadership that we showed, with [Parsons] and the boys leading that, at the front of that, trying to see what the best for us was as players, I think we in New Zealand are in a pretty good stead of how we went through that COVID situation.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments