Why are the All Blacks going to pick Retallick, Barrett and possibly Perenara out of Japan and not guys everywhere else?
So now we’re all Top League experts, eh?
Yep, gone are the days of assessing potential All Blacks on their domestic form. Now we’re basing our judgements on a bit of mediocre company football from Japan.
But let’s not stop there. If we are going to pick Beauden Barrett and Brodie Retallick (and maybe not TJ Perenara if John Kirwan’s telling the story) then what’s wrong with those New Zealanders playing English Premiership or French Top 14 footy as well?
We all know that New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is under increasing pressure to pay its player wage bill. Well, why not pass that burden onto overseas owners instead?
I’m exaggerating slightly here for effect, but let’s be frank about this: New Zealanders are watching the Top League with great interest and players will be named in the All Blacks on the back of their stints playing there.
You can argue about how diluted rugby might become here if our better players disappeared en masse but – if our local product was actually that good already – no-one would be watching any matches from Japan. The fact is Super Rugby Aotearoa is okay, but not a lot better than that.
If it were a premium product, maybe we’d actually talk about it.
Instead, the rugby discourse tends to be dominated by Kirwan’s weekly pronouncements and other peripheral issues such as is Ardie Savea a good bloke, should players be able to drink and play music after midnight and where’s Perenara playing next?
Let’s linger on Perenara a moment.
New Zealand has seen the best of him. He’s been a good player, tried very hard, but he isn’t the All Blacks’ future.
So much of the team’s footy is built on the speed of Aaron Smith’s game and yet we insist on replacing him with the comparatively-pedestrian Perenara. It doesn’t make sense.
NZR don’t owe him a living and Perenara’s more than paid any debt he could have owed to the All Blacks and Hurricanes. There’s no drama in the parties going their separate ways.
As for this NRL business? Look, wake me up when something actually happens.
Are the Sydney Roosters low-balling Perenara? No, they’re simply giving him the same pro-rata’d deal that Sonny Bill Williams got a year ago.
A hundred-odd thousand dollars doesn’t sound much for a player of Perenara’s pedigree, but then he’d only be at the club for a month or three anyway. Should he make a success of this mooted move, then maybe it would amount to more than a brief stint.
As it is, the whole thing just smacks of contract negotiation shenanigans; not that NZR should be desperate to re-sign him anyway.
The fact remains, though, that Retallick and Barrett and possibly Perenara are not playing their franchise football in New Zealand and yet will be All Blacks in the near future. Is that right? And if it is, then why can’t we broaden our horizons beyond Japan?
I mean, do we all agree that the rugby there is of a weaker standard than Europe? So is it that weakness that makes picking blokes from there more palatable or are we kidding ourselves about how well Barrett et al are going?
If you want to select a player capable of beating the best opposition in the world, chances are you wouldn’t look in Japan for him.
South Africa, even though it feels like a lifetime since we saw the Springboks in action, are world champions thanks in some part to picking players from offshore. Their economy, like ours, isn’t strong enough to pay players their market value, but still they make it work.
Rugby in New Zealand – as we’re all well aware – is going broke. Deals, such as the proposed one with Silver Lake, will offer NZR a temporary solution, but the game can’t sustain the wage demands of our leading players.
So why are we happy to pick some from Japan, but not others from elsewhere? Let’s just be grown ups about this and admit that it’s all right if our leading players leave the country.
We’ll all be glued to their games anyway, given how underwhelmed we appear to be with the rugby here.
European football has been rocked by news of a proposed Super League, with England’s six biggest clubs among those said to be onboard.
Whether we like the idea or not, rugby will inevitably try to follow a similar path and it would be the height of naivety to assume market forces won’t eventually prevail and that our leading players won’t want to swap Dunedin and Hamilton for more lucrative and glamorous opportunities elsewhere.
And when they do, we should have no problem picking them for All Blacks’ duty.
Comments on RugbyPass
$950k for a Prop that isn’t fit enough to play 10 mins of rugby? Surely there is someone better to replace Big Mike with
2 Go to commentsFour Kiwis in that backline. A solid statement on the lack of invention, risk-taking and joy in the NH game; game of attrition and head- banging tedium. Longterm medical problems aplenty in the future!
1 Go to commentsGood article, I learnt quite a lot. A big sliding door moment was in the mid 00s when they rejected Steve Anderson's long term transformation and he wrote Ireland's strategy instead.
2 Go to commentsHi Dr Nick! I'm worried that I've started to enjoy watching England and have actually wanted them to win their last two games. What would you prescribe? On a more serious note, I've noticed that the standard of play in March is often better than early February. Do you think this is because of the weather or because the players have been together for longer?
10 Go to commentsMy question in all this brett is who is going to wear the consequences of these actions? Surely just getting the sack isn’t sufficient? A teenager working the till at woolies would probably get taken to court if they took $20 out of the till. You mean to tell me that someone can spend $2.6 million and get away with it? Where was it spent? What companies/people were the beneficiaries etc? How is it just being talked about as an ‘oopsie’ and we all just move on and not a matter of the court for gross negligence, fraud, take your pick…
18 Go to commentslove Manu too but England have relied on him coming back from injury for far too long and not sorted the position with someone else long term . It will be a blessing he has gone . Huge shame he was so injury prone . God speed Manu .
3 Go to commentsI agree with Ben Smith about Brett Cameron. The No. 6 position has to be a monster and a genuine lineout option, like Ollivon, Lawes (now Chessum), Du Toit, etc. The only player who fits that bill right now is Scott Barrett. A fit and fizzing Tuipolotu together with one of the young towers, Sam Darry or Josh Lord, would give Razor the freedom to play Barret at 6.
16 Go to commentsOutstanding article, Graham. Agree with all of it. And enjoy the style of writing too (particularly Grand Slap!).
2 Go to commentsI wouldn't pay a cent for that loafer. He just stands around, waiting for play to come his way. He won't make the Wallabies.
2 Go to commentsGood bit of te reo maori Nic. Or is that Niko or Nikora? On the theme of trees the Oaks v Totara. Game plan would be key. I have one but it would cost you.
10 Go to comments> Shaun Edwards’ You should not have to score 30 points to win a game, as exciting as it is. This statement was surprising to me. It is nonsensical .I guess it is a defence coach speaking. But head coach, defence and attacking coaches all work together. They are inseparable. You score more than the opposition to win. It only needs to be one score. You score whatever the game demands, whatever the opposition demand. You defend whatever it takes. The attack coach needs to be able to clock up 30pts if need be.
10 Go to commentsWho’d have thought, not having Farrell & Youngs kicking the ball at every possible opportunity and playing flat and allowing your centres to run and pass would pay off? No one could possibly have seen this coming. FML. It took a LONG time coming but at least that time has finally come. England need to find a backup to Lawrence. Freeman is the best candidate for me, I see no reason why he can't play 12. He's big, strong, fast and has great hands.
10 Go to commentsLove Manu but he's not the player he was and I imagine Bayonne have paid too much money for him.
3 Go to commentsNew Zealand have not beaten England since 2018 and even that was a pretty close shave.
1 Go to comments“a renewed focus on Scottish-qualified players” Scottish-qualified is another way of saying English. England has development more players for the Scotland national Rugby team in the last 4 years, than Scotland has.
2 Go to commentsThis sounds a lot like the old Welsh rugby proverb “Wales never lose. Other teams just score more points.”
5 Go to commentsFinally,at last, Borthwick has done what the whole of England have been crying out for. Ditch the kick chase and let the players have freedom to attack and run with the ball. It was great to see. Ford played really well and for the first time in ages was 5 yards closer to the gainline which then allowed a more attacking position . Pity it has taken 90 odd caps to do so. However, this has to continue and not be a false dawn . One issue. Marcus. With Ford having one really good game in 5 ,is he the answer long term . Smith puts bums on seats and is terrific to watch . How can you leave him out before he departs for France in disillusion . England are in danger of Simmons , Alex Goode , Cipriani , Mercer and now Smith being unable to get a selection ahead of “favourites” of the management regardless of form . Great to see England play so well .
2 Go to commentsCockerill was an abrasive player in the mould of a Georgian front rower who will have the respect of that pack. Looking forward to seeing what he can do with this exciting team, hopefully they can send a message to unions like Wales that money alone doesn't buy you wins.
2 Go to commentsI like the look of those July matches. Hopefully they'll get some good tests in November too.
2 Go to commentsThis is a poor article, essentially just trolling six nations teams
22 Go to comments