This week we will mostly be concerning ourselves with the All Blacks’ overseas eligibility debate and the return of London Irish…
Keeping them home
Despite the debate surrounding changing the All Black eligibility rules being shut down by New Zealand Rugby this week, the nagging sense remains that were, for example, South Africa to romp home with the Rugby Championship this year, it is a debate that could quickly reopen.
Ostensibly, it surrounds one player at the moment, with Scott Robertson somewhat openly courting Richie Mo’unga and the latter somewhat discouragingly handing off the overtures, but there are likely to be other players – such as Shannon Frizzell – in the future and ahead of the World Cup, who are looked at. Moreover, as the current All Black group establishes itself ahead of the next World Cup cycle, it’s the successor generation that, more often than not, has its head turned by riches on offer overseas.
As Mr. Robertson himself says, the key questions are: “What’s right for all of our game? How do we create it so we still get the best players, we’ve still got the best competitions and we’ve still got the best All Black group?“
Watching the opening round of Super Rugby last weekend, it was palpably evident that the New Zealand talent production line continues to churn out high-quality products across all positions and provinces. There’s been a lot of drum-beating in Australia this year about a levelling up of the Super Rugby playing field across the Tasman, but the New Zealand teams still looked a cut above. If the All Blacks don’t succeed in the future, it’s not for the want of quality or depth.
Yet Mr. Robertson is not alone in looking further afield for playing stocks. Sir Steve Hansen has suggested that players based in Japan who are not on a formal sabbatical ought to be considered, in part because of the significant New Zealand presence among the Japan Rugby League One coaches and playing staff. Beauden Barrett has suggested eligibility could be expanded to include the whole of Super Rugby and not just New Zealand. He and Ardie Savea have also pointed to South Africa’s success. Meanwhile, the Giteau law, by which a player who has garnered a certain number of caps is free to go wherever and still be selected for international duty, is constantly mentioned.
International rugby is a different beast, where experience is a far more telling factor than in franchise or club rugby. International squads tend to be settled over years and patience is often the strongest virtue required among those on the periphery.
What seems to have worked for South Africa is not just the ability to draw on the experience spread around the globe, but also the ability to give more players at home their experience in senior rugby and – this is perhaps the most relevant aspect – induct the most promising ones early into the system by use of the alignment camps held a couple of times a year. Those are said to be with a huge emphasis on education of the Springbok culture as much as skills or strategy. If South Africa’s short-term project was making sure the Boks did not lose their experienced players, the longer-term project is about making sure the future Boks know what is what before they are allowed into the big wide world.
It is perhaps this that most defines the success of South Africa’s open-door policy. New Zealand has had its own distinct rugby culture of skills-based excellence since the early days of Sir Graham Henry. The All Blacks are the epitome of this culture and the Super Rugby and NPC sides continue to promulgate it. While South Africa’s teams continue to hold separate identities and styles, New Zealand’s Super Rugby teams tend to serve as the alignment camp for the All Blacks, as well as being a melting pot for competitive on-pitch strategy.
And this, perhaps, is the most important point. Opening the doors to all players to go wherever they can earn a bigger buck would dilute that alignment. New Zealand is an isolated post. The rest of the world tends to happen overnight there. Once out of the door, it’s very hard for you to keep a proper eye or ear on what goes on, even more so for those in the country who want to keep an eye on or ear open to you when you are abroad.
The best thing New Zealand can do is to let those who really want to go, go. And keep on producing and nurturing those who want to stay.
Justin Marshall: The Scott Robertson ploy that is ‘detrimental’ to the All Blacks
The return of London Irish will be a false dawn if not managed right
It is, unquestionably, a good thing that one of the game’s most storied clubs is now returning to active duty. But while all involved can celebrate, the manner in which it is all happening is hardly reassuring.
An English club with its junior/academy teams playing in England but the senior team playing in the URC is not going to reflect well on English rugby and the RFU has quite understandably refused to countenance the possibility. It’s quite a cheek in the first place for the new owners to consider themselves something special; they’ve acquired the sins of their forebears as well as the brands.
Both the Exiles and Worcester are also banging at the door of the Championship, but several of the clubs there are also understandably somewhat put out at the thought that next season’s competition might be dominated by a couple of teams with big wallets and – potentially – unsustainable financial models similar to those that led to their downfall in the first place. Doubly put out when you consider the efforts made by clubs such as Ealing, Cornish Pirates and Chinnor to be responsible, sustainable, well-run community-serving clubs.
There’s plenty of fanfare around this story, plenty of PR bluster, and plenty of deserved happiness among the fans who suffered the most. It would be great to have London Irish back. But the return needs to be earned on the pitch and carefully designed off it; the current noise around it all smacks of neither.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/loose-pass-overseas-all-blacks-will-dilute-alignment-as-new-exile-owners-acquire-the-sins-of-their-forebears
