'Until I retire': Richie Mo'unga at peace with All Blacks career
Despite some swirling murmurings that a change in eligibility laws is high on Scott Robertson’s agenda as the new All Blacks coach, specifically when it comes to his partner in Super Rugby crime Richie Mo’unga, the flyhalf is happy to put his All Blacks tenure to rest.
The Crusaders’ seven-year reign as Super Rugby champions proved how deadly the duo can be, and while Mo’unga, who Robertson has affectionately described as the Crusaders’ “Stephen Curry”, stopped short of ruling out any All Blacks involvement altogether, he was keen to express his commitment to his new club.
Mo’unga, alongside fellow All Black Shannon Frizell, was officially welcomed in Japan this week and shared some brief thoughts on his career ahead, including life beyond his current three-year deal with Toshiba Brave Lupus.
“I’m focused on the present,” Mo’unga said. “I just want to give all I can to Toshiba.
“I really can see myself playing here as long as I can until I retire… At this very point, the All Blacks is over there.
“I don’t like using the term ‘sabbatical’; this isn’t a rest for me, it’s not a one-year thing. I’m fully involved and fully committed.”
His lone comment on the All Blacks drops something of a hint as to his consideration of a potential eligibility change.
Mo’unga announced his long-term deal with the Tokyo team prior to Scott Robertson’s official signing as Ian Foster’s successor, but it’s most likely Mo’unga was well aware of the appointment given the timing and comments from Razor in the months leading up to it.
“I’m going for more reasons than just footy or who’s head coach,” Mo’unga said back in March. “I’m going as a father now, to provide for my family and take on a new challenge – that I think my family is ready for in Japan.
“You have the ‘would’ve’ or ‘could’ve’, but I’m just really proud of Razor and his achievement.
“People that know Razor know that he’ll do an awesome job with the All Blacks.”
Mo’unga’s reign as undisputed All Blacks No. 10 has been relatively short-lived, only wrestling the jersey off Beauden Barrett for good a few games into last year.
At just 29 years of age, it’s quite likely the playmaker’s best years are still ahead of him. Certainly, when it comes to the international game, the Rugby World Cup silver medalist looked to be truly establishing himself in 2023, having struggled to display his full skillset in the black jersey previously.
With his recent international form and what many would expect to be a boost in responsibility from his former Crusaders coach, the “what if” questions remain palpable.
“I do have a special relationship with him (Robertson), we’ve spent a lot of years together.
“He’s never stopped believing in me, told me that I’m the man for the job, regardless of performances.
“That belief goes both ways, I believe in him and his abilities as a head coach.
“We’ve been through the ups and downs together. We’ve lost games and won games, so I know the respect is there in what we do for each other.
“I’m really happy for him.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Amazing. The losing team’s ratings are higher than the winning team’s. Mallia definitely didn’t deserve a y. What game were you watching? Should have got a w or an x. ADP hardly featured in that second half. At one point I wondered when he’d been subbed. Seems to me as if he gets an automatic 9 just for getting onto the team sheet.
1 Go to commentsI’m sorry. That second half was far from enthralling. It was painful to watch.
1 Go to commentsVery generous! If you’d missed the game, reading this you’d conclude that it was the Quins front row that cost them the game. Marler getting a blanket 6 for his demented contribution to the game. Puzzling.
1 Go to commentsCan’t see Toulouse beating Leinster at this rate.
7 Go to commentsADP was having a very average game until winning that penalty for Toulouse, sticking his big head in the way. “The head of God”?
7 Go to commentsHarlequins doing their best to do as little damage as possible with all the possession. Looks like they skipped catch and pass drills this week.
7 Go to commentsSeeing pictures of Jacques high-fiving it with Irish players breaks my heart. Too soon. I need more time.
1 Go to commentsquins is all over the place. The minute they get the ball they panic. Quins can still win tho just need to win all rucks otherwise just don't bother.
7 Go to commentsGreat wins for the male & female kiwi sides. Ireland not far away..
1 Go to commentsWhy is this dude getting so much coverage? Usually knobs like this get cancelled.
2 Go to commentsWow. What was that? A 3 million word meandering article about what exactly?
2 Go to commentsNice piece of writing. And yes the Sharks pulled a rabbit from the hat and were a little lucky with that penalty try that wasn’t given… however the Sharks (with their resources) should be way more consistent and should be putting teams like Claremont away for breakfast. I expect more from them and hope they kick on now.
8 Go to commentsJust what the Sharks needed to get things going in the right direction Defence on the outside really creates havoc for the whole team and needs to be addressed.
8 Go to commentsWell done guys both teams will be ready to play knockout rugby.
1 Go to commentsSurprised that Ramos isn't starting at 15. But what a squad of galacticos!
2 Go to commentsWhy is it a snub? What journalistic garbage is that? Sure the guy is a great player, but there are plenty of loose forwards and not all of them can be Springboks. Also, I know of no-one who doubts Rassie’s judgment. South Africa has a conveyor belt of loose forwards that just keeps producing, so the competition is intense. I certainly wish him well, but there is no entitlement and there is no snub.
17 Go to commentsSkelton may be brought back for the Wallabies so that would be the only reason that may hinder Wilson. Easily the form, most skilful and game IQ of any Oz 8. Valentini’s best and favourite position is 6, but lineouts may be an issue with Skelton, Valentini and Wilson. Will be interesting what Schmidt goes for but for me Wilson should be picked on form. Schmidt rewards work rate, skill and consistency. All that glitters every so often won’t be in contention. Greely is one of those players that has a knack of making the right decision. A coach is going to love him because he knows week in week out he’s going to get the job done. The second try Greely wasn’t the guy who made the initial break it was Flook, Greely was at the bottom of the ruck when Flook was off along the sideline. Greely got up and made the effort to catch up with play but also read the play nicely and hit the pass from Campbell at pace and then held the pass beautifully to Ryan.
6 Go to commentsSpot on Ben. Dead right. Havili looked great at 10. Easily the highest rugby IQ of any NZ player these days. Getting a kick charged down is a result of getting used to adjusting your depth to the line at 10, which he will sort out with time. But other than that it was an outstanding first effort in that position this year. I think the NZ media has misunderstood this directive from Razor. Havili might rank behind B Barrett this year, but Beuden is 33 this month and won't last much longer. DMaC is great but flaky and not really a test match animal (his efforts in Dunedin versus Aus last year for example). If Razor can't have Mounga, DMaC is too unstructured for Razor (and is just too small for test rugby). Havili will end up our first choice first five, and in partnership with Jodie will be excellent. Two triple threat operators in tandem, and big bodies and tough tacklers to boot. Jordoe will be the ABs goal kicker. I am an Aucklander and Blues (and Warriors) fan, but Havili at 10 is going to be sensational in time… he can be the best first five in the world by the end of this year. No question.
6 Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
8 Go to commentsGood riddance
1 Go to comments