Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

'The day you say that you can be an All Black from Timbuktu, then you're in trouble'

By Finn Morton
(Photo By David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Stephen Donald has slammed Beauden Barrett’s staggering All Blacks eligibility exemption request, as the star pivot looks to potentially head overseas after next year’s World Cup.

ADVERTISEMENT

According to a report by The New Zealand Herald’s Liam Napier, the New Zealand Rugby Union reportedly rejected Barrett’s request to base himself overseas while still being able to don the black jersey.

The two-time World Rugby Player of the Year has been a mainstay of the All Blacks’ matchday squads for quite some time now, and would be considered a massive loss to New Zealand rugby if he did leave.

Video Spacer

Video Spacer

But the decision to decline his request will seemingly force Barrett to choose between the coveted black jersey and an overseas payday.

Speaking on SENZ’s The Run Home, World Cup hero Stephen Donald said the New Zealand Rugby Union would be “in trouble” if they let players “be an All Black from Timbuktu.”

“I would have no problem if any of the All Blacks who has put a couple of years (in) goes and gets the Brodie or the Beaudy walk back into the All Blacks,” Donald said on SENZ’s The Run Home.

“But the day you say that you can be an All Black from Timbuktu, then you’re in trouble.

“Guys are going to bugger off.

“When they’re all under the house of the NZRU, you know that he’s played this (many) minutes, you know that this is his condition.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Even the conditioning issue, that was Rens’ (Dave Rennie) issue when he was bringing guys back from overseas, he was always worried about having any sort of control over their conditioning because he knew… that the game is slower.

“There’s all sorts of reasons but undoubtedly the biggest reason is you cannot have guys overseas and being an All Black because… what’s left to keep the guys playing for our Super Rugby teams?

“Our Super Rugby teams battle to get crowds now, what’s it going to be like in five years’ time when your Beauden Barrett’s, McKenzie’s, Will Jordan’s are off playing in the European Championship as opposed to the Crusaders, Hurricanes and Chiefs?”

Australian rugby have famously relaxed their eligibility rules since before the 2015 World Cup, when they introduced the ‘Giteau Law.’

ADVERTISEMENT

Under Rugby Australia’s current rules, the Wallabies are able to select a few overseas players for the national team.

Quade Cooper and Samu Kerevi are among the overseas based players who have starred in Wallaby gold over the past few years, as the team looks to work towards former glory.

The Wallabies had a tough year this year, there’s no denying that – although they showed plenty of promise.

But if the All Blacks were to relax their eligibility rules, even if it was for just one player, then Donald suggested they would have to look at their Trans-Tasman neighbours for an insight into their future.

“Look where they’ve got to,” Donald added.

“Look where Aussie rugby is at right now. They are a basket case… you would never want to open that floodgate, not for anyone.

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
FEATURE
FEATURE Storm clouds gather over Biarritz with owner poised to bail out Storm clouds gather over Biarritz with owner poised to bail out
Search