'Discussions stalled' on Richie Mo'unga's early All Blacks return

After a year of speculation, it appears Richie Mo’unga will not be returning to New Zealand early from his three-year Toshiba Brave Lupus deal.

The star playmaker made the move to Japan following New Zealand’s heartbreaking loss to South Africa in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, having put pen to paper prior to Scott Robertson’s ascension to the All Blacks throne.

Given the duo’s immense success at club level, speculation that Mo’unga was feeling drawn back to Kiwi shores for another crack in the black jersey was met with plenty of excitement in New Zealand.

However, news broke on Wednesday night that the contract discussions between New Zealand Rugby and Mo’unga’s League One club had broken down.

While there was reported willingness from the Brave Lupus to let their marquee man go early, it now appears Mo’unga will see out his three-year commitment to the club.

1News ran the story, landing a comment from Mo’unga’s agent, Cam McIntyre, of LittleGIANT Sports.

“Discussions stalled at the end of last season,” he told the news station, adding: “There is currently no change to the terms of Richie’s contract [at Toshiba].”

Further insight was gained from a reported source close to Mo’unga, who claimed the stalled negotiations had disappointed the 30-year-old, not only due to his All Blacks ambitions but for how the news might reflect on him. The source added that Mo’unga is content in Tokyo.

It is understood by 1News that a meeting between Mo’unga, New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson and Scott Robertson was hosted by Barve Lupus late in 2024, and the parties could not reach an agreement.

Robertson has remained steadfast in his proposal for NZR to loosen eligibility criteria for All Blacks selection, specifically urging the union to keep an open mind over individual cases that should be considered for exemption, something many fans interpreted as being about Mo’unga in particular.

The seven-time Super Rugby champion told Stuff during last year’s July Series he was weighing up the options over his future.

“I signed for three years with Toshiba and my intentions were, ‘Yep, I’m going do the three years’.

“[But] obviously with ‘Razor’ [Robertson] coming along and saying he’d love to have me back home, it’s just given me another opportunity to think about where I’m at with my footy.

“I obviously had a really successful year in my first year and I’m trying to weigh up the options of what would be best for my family, but also what would be best for my footy as well.

“So, those conversations are still happening and to be honest there’ll be no rush before we all come to a decision.”