Ex-All Black great says 'sabbaticals' headed for scrapheap after lacklustre results

The sabbatical clause for top tier All Blacks are ready to be scraped according to Sir John Kirwan after lacklustre results at the international level.

The growing use of sabbaticals in NZR contracts allowed the best of the best to earn offshore for a season, with Japan become the primary location, as a tool to keep the top All Blacks eligible for selection.

But with the All Blacks suffering a decline in results from the mid 80 per cent range to the low 70 per cent since 2020, the financial sabbatical could become a thing of the past according to Kirwan.

“I like the financial sabbaticals they do in Japan but what the players need to realise is that if you go to Japan, you’ve got to win [with the All Blacks],” Kirwan said on Sky Sport’s The Breakdown.

“So apparently the financial sabbaticals in Japan aren’t going to happen anymore because the players that have gone overseas have not won.

“That’s probably out of the book but I am absolutely in favour of our best players being available for the Blues and playing in the Super competition and playing for the All Blacks, totally.”

Sam Cane, Beauden Barrett, Ardie Savea, Damian McKenzie, Sam Whitelock have all had Japanese sabbaticals over recent years, skipping out on Super Rugby to play Japan Rugby League One where they can reap financial rewards.

Jordie Barrett is the latest to secure an overseas stint, he is headed to Leinster on a short-term deal as part of his agreement with NZR that runs to 2028.

Should Kirwan’s assertion be accurate, that indicates a hard line will be taken on eligibility selection from the NZR board at a time where head coach Scott Robertson is set to ask for exemptions.

Robertson confirmed he would present to the board on changing the eligibility rules.

“What’s right for us now? How do we create it, so we still get the best players, we still get the best competition and still get the best All Blacks group?” Robertson said.

“And, potentially, if you keep an open mind you might look at the opportunity of guys that have shown a lot of loyalty to us.

“Yeah, there’s an avenue for it.”

Kirwan vehemently opposed changes to the eligibility laws, claiming that New Zealand “couldn’t afford it” and that it is “an absolute joke” players are putting their hand up from overseas.

He pointed to the Wallabies and Australian rugby which has tinkered with selection rules since the mid 2010s but that didn’t help them in the long run.

“There is absolutely no way that our country can afford to pick people from overseas, it’s an absolute joke and most people that want to be picked from overseas are those that have already left,” Kirwan said.

“This is a fragile, fragile world. Has it helped Australia? Australia did it and they’ve gone backwards.

“So for me, we can never ever compete with overseas money so what we need to do is try and find a solution to keep our best players.”