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Damian McKenzie weighs in on NZR's approach to eligibility after departures

New Zealand's Damian McKenzie takes part in a training session, a day ahead of their rugby union match against Japan in Urayasu on October 25, 2024. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP) (Photo by PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images)
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All Black Damian McKenzie has called for New Zealand Rugby to change its player selection criteria and follow in the footsteps of the Wallabies.

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Overseas-based stars couldn’t play for the Wallabies until Rugby Australia eased their eligibility rules to allow select players to be considered for inclusion in 2015.

It allows Australian representatives like Noah Lolesio, Will Skelton and Taniela Tupou to remain in the hat for a callup as next year’s Rugby World Cup approaches.

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New Zealand have held strong on their eligibility rules, meaning players like McKenzie will be prevented from playing for the All Blacks if they move overseas.

But the Kiwis are experiencing a player exodus, with Blues captain Dalton Papali’i and Hoskins Sotutu among those recently announcing moves to Europe.

On Monday, McKenzie’s Chiefs teammate and speedster Etene Nanai-Seturo unveiled he will play in France next season, adding further pressure on New Zealand to follow Australia.

“It’s been a pretty well talked about point … it’d be great for that to be able to happen,” McKenzie, a 74-cap All Black, said on Thursday.

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“You just want the best players playing for your country, right?

“Whatever way they (New Zealand Rugby) go on, we just have to stick with it and back it.”

McKenzie is more immediately focused on helping his Chiefs to overshadow James Slipper’s historic 203rd game for the Brumbies on Friday in Canberra.

Slipper has been the centre of attention in the lead-up to becoming the most capped Super Rugby player after equalling former All Black Wyatt Crockett on 202 games two rounds ago.

“I just admire a guy like him to be able to have such a long career, particularly as a frontrower,” McKenzie said.

“Hopefully we can spoil the party, but we’ll celebrate that occasion with him after the game.”

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Winger Corey Toole is returning from a quad niggle for his teammate’s milestone match and is one of the key ins for the Canberrans after coach Stephen Larkham made a plethora of changes.

The Brumbies will need all their available stars if they are to triumph over the team that beat them to make the competition’s grand final last season, as Canberra aim to snap a five-game losing streak against their opponents.

They will be without young gun Lachie Shaw (illness), prop Rhys van Nek (hand) and winger Ollie Sapsford (leg) for the clash.

“We’ve spoken about some hoodoos (that we’ve broken). The first one in Christchurch a few weeks back and last year against the Blues,” Toole said.

“We can take confidence out of those wins and bring it to tomorrow night.”

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G
GS 45 days ago

Just looking at how some of the players who are leaving, you would think:


AJ Lam

Dalton P

Fehi Fineanganofo


I would think that all three would be looked at pretty closely by the new coaching panel for the AB Squad. Personally think AJ Lam has taken a big step forward playing 13 and has the key element the position requires today: size.


The bigger issue for me is the loss of these players from NZ Below are the names of the players that have left (last season) or are leaving(end of this year):


Pouri Rakete-Stones

Dalton Papali'i

Sevu Reece

Hoskins Sotutu

Shaun Stevenson

Harry Plummer

Braydon Ennor

Fehi Fineanganofo

Etene Nanaï-Seturo

Dallas McLeod

Harry Plummer

Ricky Riccitelli

Shaun Stevenson

Sam Gilbert

Thomas Umaga-Jensen

Peter Umaga-Jensen

Mark Telea

Adrian Choat

Tom Christie

Zach Gallagher

Xavier Roe - rumoured to be heading offshore


As an idea, I think the AB XV from last year is losing around 15% of their players at the end of this season, not a healthy stat.


So a lot of these players are not going to play for the ABs, however, all these names are people who I would perceive as quality Super level rugby players (at a minimum) - when you lose these players and replace them with kids aged 20-23, coming through the NZ U20 Progam - it is obviously going to have an effect on the quality of Super rugby.


And the reason the ABs are historically so good is not only that we produce great players/athletes, but that those players are playing against other really high-quality players - if you gut your middle tier of players in a comp, leaving only AB/AB XV and players aged 20—23/24, longer term it is going to have an effect on the ABs.


I’m a proponent of selecting ABs offshore (maybe 5 players and meeting certain criteria) and then investing funds saved into NZ Rugby pathways to ensure that we have talent feeding through - addressing the challenge of the NRL, and I’m wondering if we are investing enough funds into NZ Schools/U18/U20 programmes.


Anyway you view it - either select off-shore or don’t select off-shore, that list of names I have listed above should be a might concerning if you are a NZ Rugby fan….

C
Carpet Monkey 44 days ago

Great thoughts

If players leave and can still be eligible for selection…there's no way a prudent All Blacks coach wouldn't look at them

It also opens the door for young talent to get super rugby experience

Its a no brainer

21st century boy

B
Bazzallina 45 days ago

75 tests and or 150 combined Super and or NPC games

K
KwAussie 46 days ago

DMac is wrong and like a lot of players is just thinking it through from just a player perspective. Keeping the selection to ABs playing in NZ is a huge part of the good pathways that produce good ABs and it needs to stay. For some reason as soon as players go off shore their reputation seems to grow, often to a level they never had when playing in the local competition, and people seem to think they are needed to help the team win. Funnily enough I’ve never seen it with any player coming back into any team and for the disruption they bring with a lack of cohesion, less time to integrate and the sheer cost doesn’t make it worth it.

J
JW 45 days ago

Wrong about what? He’s just saying it would be cool if there was no negatives to it, he’s not saying they should open it up right now.


Unfortunately for the idea, you are 100% right about they problems with unlikely being overcome.

I
Icefarrow 46 days ago

Yeah, we see this all the time with the sabbatical players who go to Japan. They are out of form for around half of the international season when they return.

W
WJ 46 days ago

How about if you don’t think they will fit back in then don’t pick them.

I think the problem we have to solve is the sudden loss of top, experienced players after each RWC. Maybe a relaxation for players with 50+ tests, or some number.

Otherwise we spend 2 years after RWC rebuilding, while SA, Arg and others just truck on with largely the same players.

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