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New Zealand can't keep losing first fives like Harry Plummer
It is a shame that Harry Plummer is lost to France.
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Nice for him, obviously, that the Blues and All Blacks first five-eighth is destined for Clermont Auvergne.
It’s just that New Zealand isn’t in a position to continue losing playmakers as accomplished as Plummer.
Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie won’t be around forever. In fact, you would assume this is the last Rugby World Cup cycle for both of them.
In the meantime, neither appears in any danger of losing their spots in the All Blacks’ best 23.
Maybe Plummer will be back, post the 2027 tournament. He’ll be 30 by then and a far more worldly player.
I’m not so much worried about him personally, as a landscape that already requires a franchise as successful at talent identification and development as the Crusaders, to have to go and sign a has-been like James O’Connor to play first five-eighth.
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With no Richie Mo’unga or Fergus Burke, the cupboard in Christchurch is bare.
Barrett, particularly, and McKenzie are no strangers to sabbaticals in Japan. McKenzie has also been linked to a short-term deal in France.
Every time a player of that ilk laces their boots up elsewhere, the quality of our rugby in New Zealand suffers immeasurably.
I always go back to Ngani Laumape and his wasted first season at the Hurricanes.
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He’d come from the New Zealand Warriors where, as the story told to me goes, he recognised that the star players were often the worst trainers.
It came as a shock to him, therefore, to discover the most professional players and hardest workers at the Hurricanes were their All Blacks.
And so he watched Barrett and TJ Perenara, Victor Vito and Dane Coles with awe. Even Brad Shields, who wasn’t a player of that stature but whose recovery work and preparation was also at an elite level.
Laumape eventually concluded that if he had any hope of succeeding in rugby, he had to adopt the same habits.
Never mind the drop in the quality of Super Rugby when our best players aren’t participating, the standards being set behind closed doors greatly diminish as well.
Plummer is typical of many players who come into the All Blacks.
Yes, there are always exceptions, as Wallace Sititi is showing, but a number of players, particularly those in playmaking roles, aren’t actually trusted to play. They have to receive an All Blacks education first.
I remember an All Blacks head coach complaining to me about the tutelage a certain player was getting at their franchise.
“Once we get him into our environment, we’ll sort all that out,’’ the coach said.
Think of all the work that’s being put into Plummer at the moment. His Blues teammate Stephen Perofeta would be similar.
They are good Super Rugby players, but not really ready to be risked by the All Blacks in a game of substance.
New Zealand, as I said, isn’t so blessed with playmakers that we can kiss goodbye to another one.
We’re not in a position to keep schooling teenagers in the ways of Super Rugby for five or six years, before the best ones go on to hold tackle bags at All Blacks training for a further season or two.
I don’t know how good Plummer actually is because the people who coach him every day don’t believe he’s ready to be a test footballer. This after 75 games at Super level.
Maybe he recognises he’s not ready either. Maybe he sees France as a finishing school.
Equally, Plummer might feel the All Blacks are a closed shop that he’s better to get out of.
The point is, it’s a sad day when a player that so much has been invested in – and who has spent so long on the national pathway to becoming an All Black – takes that experience and knowledge and applies it elsewhere.
I wish him all the best, but Super and All Blacks rugby will be poorer for his absence.
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Well Hamish.. has this article been two decades in the making?
It's all very typical indeed. But hey, half of our season is NPC and getting to watch these guys for those 5-6 years of development play at an entertaining level. So a glass half empty article to me, but worth repeating perhaps.
Is Harry Plummer a better 10 than Barrett or McKenzie? I do not think he is close to their level. Clearly, neither does Robertson.
Therefore Plummer does not deserve to start or be on the bench for an All Black Test if he is not one of the top two in his position. The third best player at a position should only be selected if one of the top two are injured.
This applies to all players at all positions.
The All Black XV team is for player development. The All Blacks should not be.
More important though, thinking about it, I could easily seem him pushing Barrett to the bench based on performances. It's Vern Cotter, he's going to hard Plummer the 10 jersey to lose.
Plummer has been and is a battler and after a run of 5-6 good games is being treated as a star at Clermont. I'd probably bank on living well off that one good month of footy I had myself too.
Certainly the main concern with his departure is drop in standard of Super Rugby.
I agree, which is why not too dissapointed with this weeks team naming.
The reality is NZ Rugby's model just can't keep them all. Unless you have fully fledged All Black's status, you will never be able to earn to your full potential in Super Rugby. If you can't break the top 2 in the ABs for your given position, the only other option is to look abroad for a better salary and career opportunities that match your value.
We'll continue to produce tallent only to have many of our second tier (and first sometimes) of professional players picked off because of the All Black centric model.
This obviously dilutes the quality and competition at SR level. The only way to increase the wage pool for such players at this point is to allow some of our marquee players to play abroad to reduce the wage bill pressure. This already happens under the cover of "sabaticals", but it could be formalised. Do we really need Beauden Barrett playing in NZ, for example. I remember quite clearly he wanted to negotiate a contract that allowed him to be NZ's first official Japanese based player. Part of him doesn't want to be turning out for the Blues every week in any case.
Some of his huge salary could have been used to keep Plummer, or invest in other valuable tallent essential for the health of Super Rugby.
Yep, only once they hit this age though.
Probably time to abandon the policy that precludes players based overseas from continuing to be available for the ABs. EG Mounga & Burke.
I'd rather just have Dmac at home than both Mo'unga and Dmac playing abroad.
Why? Plummer is merely striking while the iron is hot. He has been around for a few years but only got attention at the Blues this year when other players were away (Barrett on a sabbatical while Perofeta spent much of the season injured). While he played well given the opportunity, it is understandable that he can see Barrett, McKenzie, Perofeta and possibly a returning Mounga all ahead of him with younger players coming though. In terms of his career, cashing in on this time (while it lasts) is a good choice.
So happy Plummer has chosen to sign in France but Im very disappointed he isnt going straight away. Its a nothing year for Plummer with so many better options at the Blues at 10.
You, like many others seem to have forgotten he's a Centre first and foremost. They only moved him to First Five-Eight and Fullback due to injuries within the team. There is plenty of room in the team for a person who can play three positions well.