‘This is stuff people haven’t heard from my mouth’ – Richie Mo’unga makes big Rugby World Cup admission
Fly-half Richie Mo'unga in action during the 2023 Rugby World Cup and All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson.
All Blacks fly-half Richie Mo’unga insists that the 2027 Rugby World Cup is his ultimate goal in what could well be a boost to Scott Robertson.
In a short clip from Sky Sport NZ, the former Crusaders star, who is currently featuring for Toshiba Brave Lupus in Japan, revealed that he wants to play in the global tournament in Australia.
Mo’unga is in the midst of a three-year contract at Toshiba, which ends midway through 2026 – just over a year before the start of the next World Cup.
There were doubts about the pivot’s future and his international ambitions after he opted to remain in Japan despite talks with New Zealand Rugby, but he has now made a firm statement over his plans.
Mo’unga admission
“Obviously, I want to play in another Rugby World Cup,” he said. “I’m not just saying that, this is stuff that people haven’t heard from my mouth.”
In the clip, it did not reveal which country he would like to play for with speculation mounting over a potential switch to either Tonga or Samoa – two nations he would be eligible for at the end of 2026 – but it does provide New Zealand Rugby and Robertson with an opportunity.
No doubt the All Blacks would be Mo’unga’s first choice option and the governing body, having failed to bring him home early from his deal in Japan, will surely look to tempt him back next year.
Should that happen, they will get a player brimming with desire and ambition having rekindled his appetite for the sport while in Asia.
“I found a real true love for the game coming back to Japan. I wasn’t someone over here trying to prove something,” he said.
“I was I guess more in a giving phase where I wanted to help develop players, I wanted to help develop coaches and develop a team.”
It is not an absolute guarantee that Mo’unga will return from Japan, given that he can continue to earn more money abroad and play for either Tonga or Samoa in 2027, but Robertson seems determined to bring him back home.
Despite the setback in late 2024 after NZR failed to agree a deal with the fly-half for an early release, the All Blacks boss appears keen to see the 30-year-old in Super Rugby once again.
“You want all your best players available,” Robertson told the Rugby Direct podcast.
“That’s what it takes to win a Rugby World Cup. You keep connected with all of them, it doesn’t matter where they’re at.
“I still get messages from the old players checking in. Sam Cane has had his time but he’s a prime example. He’s asking how everything is going in the off-season.
“But yeah, you just want your best players.”
Robertson and Mo’unga connection
Robertson and Mo’unga combined in spectacular fashion when the duo worked together at the Crusaders as they dominated Super Rugby.
And ultimately it is another reason why the playmaker may choose to return to New Zealand, where they could potentially link up once more.
The 30-year-old admitted ahead of the series against England last year that seeing Robertson’s first ever All Blacks team being announced was making him yearn for a return to Test rugby.
“I signed for three years with Toshiba and my intentions were, ‘yep, I’m going do the three years’,” the fly-half told Stuff in July 2024.
“[But] obviously with ‘Razor’ [Robertson] coming along and saying he’d love to have me back home, it’s just given me another opportunity to think about where I’m at with my footy.
“I obviously had a really successful year in my first year and I’m trying to weigh up the options of what would be best for my family, but also what would be best for my footy as well.”
He added: “The All Blacks who have just been named, you get a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out) and you start to wonder what it would be like if you were in the team playing against England this weekend.
“I’m far from finished with my footy. I feel like I’m in my prime, so having that thought of not being able to play for the best team in your country is really hard to take, but it’s the decision I made heading over to Japan.”
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