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All Black Ardie Savea shares updated stance on potential Samoa switch
By Josh Raisey
All Blacks No8 Ardie Savea has always left the door open for a potential switch to play for Samoa after he has laid his black jersey to rest.
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But the 30-year-old has cooled any desires he may have once had to represent the nation of his parents’ birth.
Savea has in the past entertained the idea of playing for Samoa, as has his brother Julian, and though he is not ruling it out, he is beginning to distance himself from that dream.
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The reasoning behind the reigning World Rugby player of the year’s increasing lack of interest is that he fears he would do a “disservice to the jersey” by switching allegiances in the twilight years of his career.
Joining Jim Hamilton on Walk the Talk, in Japan recently, coming soon on RPTV, the 81-cap All Black faced the fact that he is “getting a bit older”, meaning a potential switch is becoming more unlikely every year.
With World Rugby’s current stand-down period of three years to switch allegiance, Savea would be 33 when he is first eligible to don the blue jersey. That would require him to end his All Blacks career immediately, which is simply inconceivable at this moment in time.
Given the form he has been in over the past years for New Zealand, Savea looks to be a permanent fixture at the back of the scrum until the World Cup in 2027, which is why he has modified his plans beyond the All Blacks.
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“If you were to ask me four years ago, I would have loved to play for Samoa and put the jersey on,” he said.
“But right now, I’m getting a bit older and I think I’d be doing a disservice to the jersey if I was to just go there when I’m older.
“We’ll see, but with the rules of stand-down being three years, it’s just a long time.”
While Savea may not play for Samoa in the future, he still hopes to help the country of his heritage out in some way.
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“For me, I want to give back to Samoa in different ways,” he added.
“It might be going back home and helping out the kids there or doing something like that in my village.
“It might not be representing them on an international stage, but just doing something to give back.”
All you guys that said the same thing about playing for Samoa is just talk. The reality is money talks stop this BS nonsense..
A great shame that not only rugby greats like Ardie but ordinary people should think about “giving back” in one way or another; be it sport or any other walk of life where they could give help
what does ‘giving back’ mean? Ardie is 100% a product of NZ and NZ rugby system. It would just be ‘giving to’.