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New Zealand Rugby: Early homecoming for Richie Mo'unga still on the cards
All Blacks personnel have been chipping away at Richie Mo’unga following his decision to sign a three-season deal with Japan Rugby League One’s Toshiba Brave Lupus, and reports this week suggest the star playmaker may be starting to consider an early homecoming.
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New Zealand Rugby have made no secret of their disappointment over Mo’unga’s long-term offshore deal, and having watched the seven-time Super Rugby Pacific champion lead his new Tokyo team to 14 wins from 16 games this season, the idea of missing out on one of rugby’s premier talents during his prime isn’t sitting all that comfortably.
The national union’s general manager of professional rugby, Chris Lendrum, provided some clarity on where the situation currently sits.
“It’s no secret New Zealand Rugby were sorry to see Richie leave at the time he did and we would like him back,” Lendrum told the Rugby Direct podcast. “You can imagine we’ve been talking to Richie, and others, while they’re offshore.
“Plan A is to get him back on a fulltime contract as soon as we can. That involves working with his agent.”
When pressed for more specifics, Lendrum had no updates to give, as New Zealand Rugby want to go about the conversation while respecting the contract currently in place.
“That’s a contractual matter and we work through that with his agent and him. I know Richie would love to pull on the black jersey again. We have to see when that can be. Then you work back from there.
“The fundamental is a player is committed, wants to play for the All Blacks, wants to be back in New Zealand, otherwise we’re talking about picking All Blacks from offshore – which is not in the plans.
“We would love Richie home as soon as we can. There are contracts. We respect those. He’s employed by Toshiba currently but we’ll be involved in conversations to see what’s possible.”
The New Zealand Herald report claimed Mo’unga’s salary with Toshiba was in the ballpark of $2.2 million NZD per season, a figure well beyond New Zealand Rugby’s offer range.
Yet the focus remains on bringing Mo’unga back to Super Rugby, rather than making an exemption for Mo’unga to be eligible for All Blacks selection while fulfilling his contract in Japan.
While All Blacks coach Scott Robertson has been vocal in his ambition to have exemptions available when selecting his squads, Lendrum agrees it is likely to happen one day, but not for some time yet.
“I imagine every day that goes by it’s coming closer but it’s still a long, long way in the distance,” Lendrum said of All Blacks selection from offshore.
“The granting of sabbaticals or exemptions from our eligibility criteria are ultimately decided by the New Zealand Rugby board. Razor has come in and said ‘I’d like everybody to keep an open mind’. He hasn’t said too much more than that.
“Quite rightly as the All Blacks head coach he’s engaged in discussions with us as management about how we think it looks, what the risks are around players generally. As an All Blacks coach, like we do, he has conversations with players when they’re offshore.”
Overseas eligibility is just one proposed evolution of the selection rules, with the expansion of selection for the non-New Zealand-based Super Rugby Pacific teams another.
“Having our best players playing consistently in New Zealand has been a critical part of our success,” Lendrum said. “You move away from that only in small steps and very cautiously. You’ve seen a small evolution in our sabbatical rules over the last 10 to 12 years.
“In order to move to a situation where we picked players from across Super Rugby Pacific, which is something that has been talked about and it’s not something we’re fundamentally closed to, the conditions have to be right.
“You have to look around the competition and say everybody involved has quality coaching, is investing in high performance so there’s enough medical care, physio support and they’re all producing an equivalent amount of talent.
“You can’t have a situation where New Zealand subsidises the talent of the competition. You’d want Australians populating New Zealand teams that New Zealanders are interested in watching and raise the standard of New Zealand teams, and vice versa.
“It’s not as simple as turning a key on eligibility. We will be very careful with how we expand and adjust our eligibility rules because the success of our teams in black is bottom line for New Zealand rugby and the country as a whole.”
Comments on RugbyPass
No doubt Razor will want to kick the 2024 campaign off with a decisive selection of the top match fit players to insure his selection as the appointed coach has maximum impact. We the supporters and critics will settle for nothing less because historically it is what we have become ingrained and accustomed to. With that in mind and the distinct fall from grace of his beloved crusaders we will expect him to stamp his mark in the same way he left his old post.
9 Go to commentsI would've expected a better turn around in response to the changes within the team and its management. Lacking in my opinion is the skill sets that once was and now seemingly vacant within the squads regular front runners. Furthermore there seems to be no set game plan, the accuracy that once was is no more, the quality off the bench were poor matchups and frankly I feel a lot has to do with the coaching. Never thought i’d be critising the sadas to this degree.
5 Go to commentsAverage AB captain by recent standards. Speaks to the wider issue
9 Go to commentsWholesome lad, but no longer test level. At all
9 Go to commentsThis game was always going to be close, Canada have such a dominant pack and the Black Ferns have come unstuck in that area against teams like France and England in the past.
2 Go to commentsA distinct discomfort with the officiating they were probably selected from the local IRA narcos branch along with the commentators bloody fly tippers.
1 Go to commentsWow, never thought I would read that
2 Go to commentsExcellent match. Great to see Keenan and Ryan back for Leinster. Super result for Ulster. Season is turning around.
1 Go to comments“We need eight or nine new players, who are hard-wearing and durable and experienced Premiership performers”. So why are they scouting a retired fullback who himself admits that his “body is broken”?
1 Go to commentsBrumbies hand, knocked a Crusaders hand. Therefore, knock on in goal. Crusaders, goal line drop out should’ve been awarded. most likely after that 24 each at full time, so extra time would’ve been the right an entertaining outcome. Act Jim
1 Go to commentsSpeell cehck
1 Go to commentsColeman is gaawwwwnnn.
1 Go to commentsnext SA head coach?
3 Go to commentsGreat try by van Poortvliet.
1 Go to commentsThey have been cruelled by injuries but almost nobody (Sevu Reece and Fletcher Newell big exceptions) has played above himself which regularly happened before. Surely Scott Robertson had maintained the recruitment programme and it looks like a reasonable squad. Last in this competition will stall a lot of careers. Penny seems likeable. But it’s not enough even though this was better. We haven’t been good enough and it’s not helped by the “it’s been 15 years since… “etc “after nearly every match. Seems somehow a soft gifting of something once valuable. Kieran Read giving comments last week almost choked describing the easy surrender of possession by the forwards. I’d love to think that the senior players some of whom are back can show enough pride in the jersey to test the Blues next week.
5 Go to commentsWho will Joe select for the back three with so many in form candidates? Just hope he doesn’t get shafted like Dave Rennie and to a lesser extent Deans.
8 Go to commentsAlways reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
5 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
8 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to comments