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Steve Hansen sheds light on softened All Blacks eligibility stance
By Ned Lester
Sir Steve Hansen is softening to the idea of All Blacks being able to play in Japan and keeping their eligibility for national selection.
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The former All Blacks coach says the current conversation around eligibility laws isnāt dissimilar to the one thatās been going on for some time now, despite Scott Robertsonās injection of open-mindedness. But while that dial hasnāt shifted, his own ideas have ā slightly.
From his experience in Japanās Rugby League One since stepping down as All Black coach following 2019ās Rugby World Cup, Hansen says the accessibility of the Japanese game, and all of its world-class talent, presents plenty of untapped potential for New Zealand.
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āJust the ease of getting back from here (Japan) to New Zealand, the number of New Zealand coaches that are up here that the All Blacks or New Zealand Rugby could rely on and help facilitate the players returning back into New Zealand rugby for the All Blacks,ā Hansen explained to Sport Nationās Beaver & Guy.
āThe communication that would be needed and the trust that would be needed around strength and conditioning programmes and those sorts of things. Thereās a heap of people and connections that can help.
āThose sorts of things say to you, that maybe it could work.ā
Hansen pointed to various counterparts around the league like former Wallabies coaches Dave Rennie and Robbie Deans to illustrate his point, both individuals well versed in the rigours of international rugby.
Hansen, along with his All Blacks successor Ian Foster, is currently overseeinga squad with the likes of Aaron Smith, Michael Hooper and World Rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit, although the latter is injured and could miss the entire current season.
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Rennie currently has on his books former All Blacks in Ngani Laumape and Brodie Reatllick. While Richie Moāunga and Shannon Frizell are under the guidance of Todd Blackadder.
With all the expertise and familiarity with the Kiwi system available in Japan, Hansen sees the league as ready and capable of accommodating New Zealand Rugbyās player welfare standards and, therefore, a change in eligibility that allows All Blacks to play there wouldnāt be detrimental to the nationās top talent.
However, the impact the most high-profile Kiwi names heading overseas would have on Super Rugby is still a concern and, ultimately, the bigger factor at play for Hansen.
āI still worry about our own competition and our own development back home,ā he said.
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āWeāve got a competition in New Zealand that weāve got to keep the integrity of. I think players have always known that if you go overseas you canāt be selected and if you really want to play for the All Blacks, then youāll stay at home and play for them.
āIām still probably keen on that idea ā select from home first and foremost and keep the integrity of the competitions going.ā
If part of a joint enterprise with Japan Rugby for a combined comp this would make sense. Otherwise it doesn't address the main problem that this could completely destroy the game in NZ. What is to stop 30 of the top 50 players in the country going to play in Japan for significantly more money - at the moment the only thing is ABs eligibility.
What if top NZ school buy players went straight to a Japanese academy and never plied their trade for an NZ team?
No one who supports this idea ever addresses this issue, which is the big one I think.
Exactly.
The one way to address it though is the slight correction that it's not Japanese academies in a traditional sporting sense, it's Japanese schools.
NZ rugby already is the NRLs best resource for finding talent to put into their teams academies (https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/rugby-league/nrl/nrls-aggressive-recruitment-from-new-zealand-schools-sparks-debate/) and it would turn into the same for Japanese rugby if that country didn't have a lot of strong values. One of those values is personal growth and although rugby league is happy to take a kid out of school and then spit him out after not making it with no where to go in life, Japan would both ensure their safety, and work in partnership for whats best for everyone.
So while they still might target rugby players/kids, it will be for both a much older university level and provide even more incentive for local families to resist the big bucks the NRL offers. You could even generate a Uni rugby scene amongst the pacific and have a draft of all combined, or as many swaps with Japanese kids coming here in exchange as well. Japan can be ruthless in a business sense but be a much better partner in many respects imo.
Interesting if players plying their trade in the Southern hemisphere countries, with the appropriate release clause, could still play for NZ. Plenty of $$ in Japan and could be a more attractive proposition than Europe. Can't see it happening though.
If be referring to Japan as a SH country you mean that it is part of Super Rugby then fully agree as it would actually be harder for them to compete than if they were part of a NZ super side. So would actually have the opposite effect of them getting better.
Why don't they just coach in NZ? That would be much better, likely to retain more players as well.
NZ coachs are so lame the meta has become leaving NZ rugby for dead once AB dreams are over.
Money JW. Money.
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I heard that Steve Hansen interview. I was like him, against any loosening of eligibility rules. But have changed in last couple of years. Must be away to look after our own game here, but tap in to special case measures. In 2018-19 Crusader Matt Todd was playing for Robbie Deans' team in Japan , but Steve Hansen got him back for AB's. Richie Mo'unga and Shannon Frizzell are two that get mentioned. I am obviously a huge fan of Richie Mo'unga's he was a miracle worker with the Crusaders and hev would make a huge difference to the current All Black side. He is coached by former Crusaders great Todd Blackadder. Have him Hansen, Robbie Deans, Dave Rennie, Tabai Matson and others coaching in Japan. That is a very high standard.
The problem is still that All Blacks lose their edge not having to play in Super Rugby.
There have been a tone of articles on this subject in recent times. It seems the consensus is to allow longer sabbaticals but remove the typical clause that they retain their status (same job in a normal work place sabbatical).
Yes, it is. There was a concern in SA that the international form of the Boks now playing in Japan might suffer, but the opposite has been true. The likes of Kwagga Smith, Jesse Kriel, DDA, Kolbe and PSDT have, if anything, only improved. Plus, it's not as physically taxing as the URC and Champions Cup so they are prolonging their careers.