Aaron Smith, an All Blacks veteran, has weighed in on the eligibility argument, arguing that New Zealand Rugby (NZR) should explore amending its present law.
New head coach Scott Robertson has asked the governing body to keep a ‘open mind’ to the policy, while Ardie Savea wants it removed completely.
Smith, who terminated his All Blacks career by joining with Toyota Verblitz following the Rugby World Cup, has now commented on the situation.
The 35-year-old’s suggestion pales in contrast to Savea’s, but the scrum-half still wants to see NZR make changes.
‘Giteau Law’
His proposal is more analogous to the Wallabies’ ‘Giteau Law,’ which was implemented in Australia in 2015 before of the Rugby World Cup in England.
“The last two World Cups demonstrate that perhaps this isn’t the way. Playing in New Zealand benefits our country, our Super Rugby market, and our ability to develop players,” Smith told the Rugby Direct Podcast.
“When I was playing, you needed to be in New Zealand to be selected for the All Blacks.
“My only opinion is that there should be a criterion for anything, such as having played eight years or 60 Test matches. There must be measures in place to ensure that not all of our youthful talent takes off.
“Players may be able to travel overseas while also contributing to their home country. That’s where I believe it would be appropriate.” Ardie Savea wants New Zealand Rugby to ‘adapt’ its international approach, citing the Springboks’ success.
Smith believes that it is critical to keep their young players in New Zealand, but that those who have worn the All Blacks shirt deserve to be permitted to play abroad while remaining eligible.
“By no means do I want all our 21-year-old, 10-Test All Blacks taking off to Japan and not helping that next group come through,” he stated.
“There has to be a group above a certain number of Tests and time on the team that allows you to make more money while still playing for the All Blacks, like South Africa has done – they’ve won two championships in a row. There must be some gravy in that.
“I believe that by the next World Cup, the criteria will have changed.
“We have enough brilliant individuals at the NZRU to come up with a criterion that ensures not all of our top talent leaves.
“You’re talking about four or five players who deserve that high-end money and will continue to wear the black jersey.” I believe something will move in the next years.
Springboks’ World Cup Focus
Smith praised the Springboks, saying he was impressed with how they worked up to peaking in the last two Rugby World Cups.
“The microscope is only really turned on during World Cup years. The Bledisloe (Cup) is important every year for developing our teams, but look at other countries; they build and peak during World Cups,” he continued.
“If South Africa hasn’t demonstrated this, then everyone is blind. They don’t do it gracefully, but they’ve accomplished it. And they’ve done it twice already.
“You have to applaud them for it. During a conversation with my Japanese teammate, Pieter-Steph du Toit, I learned about Rassie Erasmus’s approach to various tasks. It’s all calculated.
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