Beauden Barrett’s All Blacks eligibility U-turn as he floats a slight adjustment to current policy after ‘bad precedent’ warning
Beauden Barrett in action for the All Blacks and at the Super Rugby Pacific launch in Sydney.
All Blacks and Blues utility back Beauden Barrett has called on New Zealand Rugby (NZR) to make a slight adjustment to its hard-line eligibility policy.
Last week, Barrett gave support to the NZR’s current overseas law whereby they have a strict stance of only selecting players for the All Blacks if they are contracted to New Zealand-based teams.
The policy is intended to prevent players from leaving New Zealand for big-money contracts abroad, which could weaken the country’s domestic game.
While Barrett supported NZR’s eligibility policy, he was reluctant to be drawn too much on the matter, saying that starting a debate could “open a huge can of worms”.
“I think we just have to back what New Zealand Rugby are going with. Otherwise, it sets a bad precedent for the next generation,” he said at the time.
“It’s different for South Africa, they’ve got the reasons why. But for the time being, I think New Zealand Rugby have shown a little bit of backbone around [eligibility].”
Keen for New Zealand Rugby to relax eligibility rules
However, Barrett has now urged NZR to relax those eligibility rules by turning Super Rugby into an open-border tournament, in which New Zealanders could play in countries like Australia – or possibly Japan in the future – and still be selected for the All Blacks.
“I think if there’s Kiwis that want to go and play there (in Australia or Japan), they could still be eligible under a Giteau rule,” Barrett told reporters at the Super Rugby Pacific launch in Sydney on Wednesday.
“The key is that those teams are in the competition, the same Super Rugby competition because it’s all about the Super Rugby competition.”
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson is keen for NZR to amend their overseas policy and has urged the governing body to keep an “open mind” on the matter.
Barrett is not the only current All Blacks player who wants the game’s authorities in New Zealand to change their eligibility rules for their national team.
Last year, All Blacks back-row star Ardie Savea told NZR to consider updating the country’s eligibility rules or risk being left behind while the game continues to evolve.
At the time, Savea was unavailable for selection after leaving New Zealand after the 2023 Rugby World Cup to take up a sabbatical contract with Kobe Steelers in Japan.
‘We’ve just got to be innovative and smart’
“Times are changing,” Savea told the New Zealand media. “Things are moving fast. What worked five, 10, 15 years ago maybe can’t work now. We’ve just got to be innovative and smart around what we’re doing.
“The country that’s proven that it works, that it helps, is South Africa. The majority of their team’s playing (offshore) and they come together and win the World Cup.
“I don’t think it’s going to change drastically, but I just think that something needs to evolve and grow.”
Meanwhile, former New Zealand scrum-half Aaron Smith, who is currently plying his trade in Japan after retiring from Test rugby after the 2023 Rugby World Cup, hinted last year that he would be open to an All Blacks recall should New Zealand Rugby change their stance on their overseas policy.
Smith joined Japan Rugby League One outfit Toyota Verblitz after the global showpiece in France but admitted that he had thoughts about representing his country again when the All Blacks had a mini crisis at scrum-half last year after Cam Roigard and TJ Perenara sustained injuries during the international season.
“When the team naming happened, my heart skipped a beat a little bit and to be honest I got excited,” he told the Kick Offs and Kick Ons podcast.
“When a few of the boys got hurt, to be honest I was like, I know the rule is the rule in New Zealand and you can’t but I heard some backdoor by-law that in an emergency situation someone could be brought in.
“I didn’t hear anything but the last 13 years I woke up wanting to be an All Black and trained like that. My mindset and my discipline [was that], but once the World Cup finished and I finished the Japan season, I was cooked.”
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