New Zealand Rugby boss stands firm on selection policy for overseas-based All Blacks

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) chief executive Mark Robinson revealed that they will not be changing their policy regarding the selection of overseas-based players for the All Blacks anytime soon.

There has been lots of debate about the NZR’s eligibility rules as it currently prevents New Zealanders, who are plying their trade abroad from representing the All Blacks unless they are granted a sabbatical by the governing body.

Earlier this year All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson urged NZR’s policymakers to keep an open mind on a policy which may need revising if New Zealand are to remain successful in the international arena.

And after an indifferent start to the All Blacks’ 2024 Rugby Championship campaign, in which they have already suffered defeats against Argentina and South Africa, former New Zealand international Jeff Wilson urged NZR to do more to keep their best players in the country.

No change in policy

However, Robinson, is adamant there will not be a change in policy with regards to All Blacks who are playing for overseas-based clubs.

Following the All Blacks victory over Fiji in San Diego in July, Robinson told the New Zealand Herald that NZR’s selection policy is unlikely to change.

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“Overall, we’re reasonably happy in that space,” he said. “We believe the current eligibility rules we have work for us and are really important to our success.”

That news will not be well received by Robertson, who, earlier this year, reportedly tried to lure All Blacks fly-half Richie Mo’unga to New Zealand.

NZR general manager Chris Lendrum also revealed that they were hoping to bring Mo’unga back to the country, which meant they would have to seek an early release from his contract with Japanese outfit Toshiba Brave Lupus.

“What I presented to the board, the CEOs of Super Rugby, the PUs [provincial unions], Heartland, I explained about keeping an open mind to where we are in that space, that’s what I’ve asked for,” Robertson said.

New Zealand, along with England and Ireland, are the only countries who only select locally-based players for their national teams while a country like South Africa, who have won back-to-back Rugby World Cups in 2019 and 2023, pick players from all around the world.

Happy with sabbatical model

But Robinson feels using the sabbatical model is working well for New Zealand’s Test players.

“The All Blacks and New Zealand Rugby will always keep an open mind to these things – but at the same time, we think we’ve got a good degree of flexibility at the moment around long-serving players and we have a really great contracting model and team that work really hard to understand the needs of the players,” he said.

“When I look forward to 2027 the amount of long-term retention, we’ve got of our leading players we’re really comfortable with that at the moment and don’t see a need for any radical change at this stage.”

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