Why Marcus Smith offers Japan hope of a brighter future

The advantage would be in the fact that there are the JGPs, Aki's etc, in amongst those groups of players that you want to be able to select in 2 or 3 years time. Anscombe already was an AB right, he just decided to wait to change.

The problem is theyre saying theyve been doing this for years now and that it can't continue without finding more revenue streams.

First

Robertson, in what he has said publicly, is building his argument for change as a means to close the gap that is increasing between the All Blacks and South Africa.

Based on recent performances, the All Blacks are better than the Springboks.

Second

Both games saw the All Blacks lead coming into the last 30 minutes, only for the momentum to shift dramatically once the two sides emptied their respective benches.

The failings of the second half were game plan related, they happened regardless of whether the bench had yet (play got worse very early in the half, even in the first half) been used or not.

And third

Robertson’s view is that because the Boks don’t lose access to their experienced players when they head offshore, it gives them an advantage

Didn't Razor have the most experienced team all year?

Also

“Sam Cane and Ardie Savea with Wallace Siti, what a balance that is.

This is part of Razor's problem. That's a terrible balance. You instead want something like Sam Cane, Hoskins Sotutu, Wallace Sititi. Or Ardie Savea, Sititi, Scott Barrett. Dalton Papaili'i, Savea, Finau. That is balance, not two old struggling to keep up players and an absolute rookie.

It has changed. Not many go north, more go to Japan, so how do we get the balance right to ensure that players who have given loyalty, longevity and who are still playing well

Experience is a priceless commodity in international rugby and New Zealand has a system where it throws away players precisely when they are at their most valuable.

You mean how do we take advantage of this new environment, because nothing has effectively changed has it. It's simply Japan now instead of Europe. What's it going to be like in the future, how is the new American league going to change things?

Mo'unga is the only real valid reason for debating change, but what's far more important is the wide discussion happening that's taking the whole game into account. The current modem throws players away because they decided to go with a 5 team model rather than a 12 or 14 team model. Players have to be asked to leave at the point were we know they aren't going to be All Blacks, when they are playing their best rugby, reached their peak. In order to reset, and see if the next guy coming through can improve on the 'peak' of the last guy. Of course it's going to take years before they even reach the departing players standards, let alone see if they can pass them.

What if there can be a change that enables New Zealand to have a model were players like Jamison Gibson-Park, James Lowe, Bundee Aki, Chandler Cunningham-South, Ethan Roots, Warner Dearns are All Blacks that make their experienced and youth developemnt the envy of the World. That is the discussion that really needs to be had, not how easy it is to allow Mo'unga to play again. That's how the All Blacks end up winning 3 World Cups in a row.

Razor has been shit scared to trust those young guys and it shows, and despite whatever culture he's building internally they will know he doesn't trust him as well. It's totally different to the way he selected youth for the saders and pretty baffling and frustrating to see. Foster was literally the worst selector ever, with injury being a far better selector, so to have Razor as bad is crazy.

Jordie Barrett arrived at a Hurricanes team which already had a All Black midfield pairing, but which had lost star outside backs (well they weren't really but Woodward and Marshall won a SR trophy that year). So started his "jack of all trades" journey at fullback, after playing most of his youth at 12.

Rieko also had to share his center duties at the Blues with George Moala and SBW, so, expecially with a man of his pace, it's not surprising he still got to play on the wing, and at All Black level those were rotating pretty regularly, and so that's were he found stardom without much more than his pace to carry him (hence his massive form slump that saw him dropped and Hansen/Foster take far too long to reinstate him once he found his mojo again).

With a better system in place these talented players will be able to play for one of numerous other teams in their favoured position, possibly even in other Super Rugby teams, like Australia's (once their standards improve).

Whether the is going to remain (or raise as the case may be) at All Black standard is another entirely different and pressing discussion.