1
Kiwi stars eager for Maro Itoje, Owen Farrell to join Super Rugby next year
The idea of England stars Maro Itoje and Owen Farrell playing for the Chiefs in Super Rugby next season has been described as “unbelievable”, “great for the game” and “awesome for spectators” by two of Super Rugby Aotearoa’s leading players.
ADVERTISEMENT
Speculation of the pair joining the Hamilton franchise in 2021 has been rife over the past week after it was revealed that Saracens are considering loaning their players out next season as they face a campaign in the RFU Championship.
The London club will be relegated to England’s second-tier competition for the 2020/21 domestic season as a result of salary cap breaches.
That could see a slew of top players in contention for selection for the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa next year leave the reigning English and European champions before returning ahead of the 2021-22 season.
There are currently six players in the Saracens squad who featured on the Lions’ most recent tour of New Zealand in 2017 – Farrell, Itoje, Jamie George, Elliot Daly and Mako and Billy Vunipola.
Some typical straight talking from Dimes ahead of the Premiership restart https://t.co/vUVcXMdQeK
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 11, 2020
All of those players would be among those expected to depart the club in search of top-level rugby ahead of the 2021 tour, and it may be FMG Stadium Waikato where the likes of Itoje and Farrell end up.
Saracens boss Mark McCall last week revealed he has been in discussions with Chiefs head coach Warren Gatland about the possibility of sending his players to Super Rugby on a short-term basis.
ADVERTISEMENT
Gatland, who lead his side to a winless Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign, won’t be at the club next year as he takes charge of his third Lions tour as part of the sabbatical deal included in the four-year contract he signed last year.
That seemingly hasn’t stopped him from playing a key role in potentially landing the Chiefs two of the biggest names in European rugby. “I don’t think it is out of the question,” McCall said last week when asked about the possibility of Super Rugby loans.
“I don’t think, if that was to happen, it would be for very long. It would be to get enough rugby to make sure they are firing come the Lions tour. I talked to Warren on Monday and he was very happy with the situation.”
Speaking on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod, Crusaders halfback Bryn Hall and Blues hooker James Parsons made no secret of how significant a move it would be for rugby in New Zealand if Itoje or Farrell were to join the Chiefs.
ADVERTISEMENT
Parsons used his former teammate and three-test England midfielder Joe Marchant, who joined the Blues on a loan deal from Harlequins this year, as an example of how well players from Europe can adapt to the fast-paced nature of Super Rugby.
“They play a different style, but use Joe Marchant as an example. He’s a great player, he was exceptional for us when he played,” the two-test All Blacks rake said.
“He fully adjusted his game to our style and looked right at home towards the end there, and he’s just finding himself at international level. Bring guys like that [Farrell and Itoje] over, man, that would be great for our comp. It would be great for players, as well, to test themselves against guys like that. [The] Chiefs will be really wrapped.”
Hall, who was part of the Crusaders side that claimed the inaugural Super Rugby Aotearoa title in their 32-22 victory over the Highlanders on Sunday, replicated his North Harbour teammate’s sentiments. The Maori All Blacks halfback noted the addition of Itoje and Farrell would help add star power and international flavour to a competition that is likely to be restricted to teams from New Zealand and possibly Australia from next year onwards.
“I just think it’d be great to have those kinds of calibre players coming over,” he said. “I’d love to see it. I’d love to see Itoje. I love watching him play and, even the likes of Owen Farrell and the calibre of those guys coming into our competition, especially moving forward, with the possibility of us not playing South African teams or anything like that, having the calibre of those kinds of players coming and playing with us, it’s only going to add to our competition.”
"If I don’t get the result here, I could seriously be in a lot of trouble down here in Christchurch." ?https://t.co/EJKkcvNR2r
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 11, 2020
Hall did, however, express concerns over whether the recruitment of world-class foreign stars would hinder the development of young, local talents. Parsons refuted that notion, highlighting how much up-and-coming youngsters could learn off players like Itoje and Farrell.
He added that could be especially beneficial for the Chiefs’ youthful and relatively inexperienced squad, which he believes contributed to the Hamilton franchise’s luckless run through Super Rugby Aotearoa. “Warren Gatland’s been saying that the age of their team [has held them back], and yeah, I agree the only way you can learn is by getting out there, but you can certainly learn off guys like that,” Parsons said.
“It’d be massive. They’re young men as well, they’re not old. I don’t know, it would be great for the game, awesome for the spectator, and I’d love to see how Itoje would go, like week-to-week. I’d just love to see it. It’d be a good test study. Both hemispheres are like ‘We’re the best and toughest’. It’d just be great to mix and mingle and see how well they go. It would be great.”
Listen to the full episode of the Aotearoa Rugby Pod below
Comments on RugbyPass
Hope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
1 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
1 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
9 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
9 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
39 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
86 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
9 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
39 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
9 Go to comments