Pat Lam: Why New Zealand Rugby should let other countries ‘pay for’ Ardie Savea and Beauden Barrett to help All Blacks out of their slumber
Ardie Savea and Beauden Barrett in action for the All Blacks.
Pat Lam has offered a compromise to New Zealand Rugby, who remain staunch in their stance on overseas-based All Blacks.
Players currently have to be featuring in New Zealand for them to be considered for international selection, but pressure has been mounting on the the governing body to change that policy.
Head coach Scott Robertson urged NZR to keep an ‘open mind’ when he first took the New Zealand job but, since then, seems to have come around to their way of thinking.
However, Lam believes that it is important a change is made. The former Samoa star, who played one non-Test game for the All Blacks in 1992, is not advocating a Springboks-style approach, but insists that the more established individuals should be allowed to go abroad.
Pat Lam’s proposal
“This is what I believe should happen: 50-cap All Blacks. To get 50 caps for the All Blacks team, you have established yourself as a player and a leader,” he told DSPN with Martin Devlin.
“If you think of all the All Blacks there that have 50 caps or more and then look at the wage bill – what do you think the wage bill of those guys are?
“Let the other countries, like Rassie [Erasmus] does [with the Springboks], take the 50-capped All Blacks and let them play [abroad]. The ones who are established, someone like Scott Barrett, he could easily be playing in Japan or France, and come straight back into the All Black environment.
“Anyone below that, you can’t be picked, but all that money it frees up from those players alone can go straight back into growing the game and back into the grassroots, the NPC.
“You need the money to get that development going again because without that unfortunately you’re just going to continue to do what we’re seeing at the moment.
“There is talent, 100 per cent, but you’ve got to develop that talent otherwise they’re heading off to other sports.”
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All Blacks legend Justin Marshall is another that has argued the money spent on their best players could be used to develop the next generation and Lam’s viewpoint very much aligns with that.
“How many guys in that All Blacks team actually have 50 caps?” Bristol Bears’ director of rugby added.
“You’re probably talking about the three Barretts, you’re talking about Codie Taylor, you’re talking about Ardie Savea.
“They talk about relying on gate takings, what they need to be relying on is money from the NZR, they need that money just like the teams up here [in the northern hemisphere].
“Those guys are playing for the All Blacks and the All Blacks are winning, which is bringing in the revenue, but instead of that revenue going into paying those players, they’re putting it back into [the grassroots] and giving it a chance to grow.
“If you just imagine what that number would be of all those 50-capped All Blacks, write that number down and think, ‘how good would that money be if it’s put back into the game?’ I’m not saying open the door, you have to get 50 caps.
“South Africa are doing it perfectly well where they’ve got their main players going and coming back.”
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Bringing through the next generation
Lam was born and raised in New Zealand but has established himself as a top coach in the north over the past 12 years, firstly with Connacht and then at Bristol.
The Bears have a former All Black on their books in Steven Luatua while another, Charles Piutau, also made a significant impression in the West Country between 2018 and 2023.
They never reached that 50-cap threshold but Lam insists that it would be a fair compromise and would provide more opportunities for younger players.
The 57-year-old believes that there are promising signs with this current All Blacks side, but thinks it could be even better if NZR soften their stance on overseas-based individuals.
“Leading into the next World Cup, there is a good group of players but we need that conveyor belt and the only way you’re going to keep people interested in rugby is the quality of the coaching and the programmes, and to do that you’re going to need money,” Lam said.
“You need to free it up from the cream at the top, so let the other countries pay for them. They’re not gone as they come back and play for the All Blacks, but it will allow the next group coming through to improve the leadership of their provinces.
“Taking Ardie out of the Hurricanes or Moana Pasifika or the Barretts out, the next group get a chance to lead and we’re still talking about guys who have 20, 30, 40 caps for the All Blacks. That will grow that but it brings the next crop through.”