Saffers Playing Abroad Thread

[OomStruisbaai]

as we speak

https://www.iol.co.za/sport/rugby/rugby ... 8afa441009

How All Blacks’ Scott Robertson wants to copy Springboks

New All Blacks coach Scott Robertson said Tuesday he was pressing New Zealand Rugby to change its sacrosanct rule banning overseas-based players from Test selection, saying he wanted to pick from the best available.

The governing body has refused to budge on the issue, believing selecting players enticed overseas on big-money contracts would weaken the domestic game at Super Rugby and provincial level.

As recently as last month, chief executive Mark Robinson said they were "really happy" with demands that All Blacks selection be restricted to players based in New Zealand.

But Robertson said he had asked the board to "keep an open mind" at his first press conference since taking over as All Blacks coach.

Robertson wants to copy the Springboks’ model, where the the top players are plying their trade in places such as England, France, Ireland and Japan.

The Springboks have won two Rugby World Cups since changing their stance on overseas-based players in 2018.

"That's what I've asked for ... keep an open mind where the game is at the moment, it's moving quite quickly, as we know," Robertson said, insisting he wanted to "be a step ahead" of the competition.

When asked about fly-half Richie Mo'unga, a standout performer for the All Blacks at the World Cup last year but now on a three-year contract with Japanese club Toshiba, Robertson preferred to give a general answer.

"I have got to get in front of a few people, have a few conversations, catch a few eyes, have some chats, I think it's important we do that, respect for all options," he said.

"I just want to keep an open mind, so I can select the best players available for the All Blacks."

Opinion on the issue is divided among players and coaches.

Ian Foster, who coached the All Blacks to last year's World Cup final, where they were beaten 12-11 by South Africa, has said Robertson's idea made "some academic sense" but would be a "disaster" for the game in New Zealand.

Sam Cane, who captained the All Blacks in recent years, has called for the eligibility rule to be reviewed, while his predecessor Kieran Read has doubted that the All Blacks "could survive if we end up going down that route".

From last year's World Cup squad, veterans such as Cane, Ardie Savea and Beauden Barrett are on short-term contracts overseas and will return to New Zealand before the 2024 Test season.

However, Mo'unga, Leicester Fainga'anuku and Shannon Frizell are on longer deals with overseas clubs and are currently ineligible.

[assfly]

Both England and New Zealand are going to have to buckle on the rule.

I wasn't a fan at first, but it makes perfect sense.

In fact, I wonder if now is the perfect time for Rassie to try that NH/SH squad rotation properly.

[OomStruisbaai]

The one thing we learned from the NH clubs is that you need to have enough depth for two teams. No way you can play your best team week in, week out. Rassie and Nienaber extend that to test level.

[Blake]

The only thing that is massive challenge is player management. It's a difficult puzzle to solve for sure, unless we can align on a global season of some kind and play TRC in the SH at the same time that the NH teams play 6N...or something like that.

They want an eight week rest for all players. Its going to be a real challenge specially now that the CC moved to July-Sep. We will get to a global season maybe quicker if we go to the 6 Nations. TRC wont survive without the Springboks, Soup is already on its last legs.

Player management is going to be our biggest challenge going forward. With our players scattered across Europe and Japan and local teams competing in the Currie Cup, URC, European Cups we are going to have to develop some serious depth locally and in the Bok Squad to juggle availability, injuries and planned player rest periods. Each URC team are going to have to develop 2 squads and the Boks will likely need 4-5 players in each position that could just slot in and understand the systems and gameplans.

I think that is going to be the goal of this World Cup cycle for Rassie. While some countries are going into rebuilding cycles and England and NZ are figuring out their eligibility policies, we are finally ahead of the curve. We still have a solid core of players available for this cycle and our eligibility policy has proven its worth in the last 6 years. The Boks will be able to keep most of their core players for this RWC cycle and Rassie can focus on blooding and integrating the next generation of players and build some depth for 2027 and 2031.

And locally I hope the URC teams will get some cash injections to expands their squads a little so they can compete in URC and Europe and the Currie Cup. I really worry about the Lions; they need some cash and they are stuck with Ellis Park. They can't sell it, and they can't really afford to rent an alternate smaller ground and the area is unlikely to get gentrified anytime soon. They really are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

[Chilli2]

The only thing that is massive challenge is player management. It's a difficult puzzle to solve for sure, unless we can align on a global season of some kind and play TRC in the SH at the same time that the NH teams play 6N...or something like that.

They want an eight week rest for all players. Its going to be a real challenge specially now that the CC moved to July-Sep. We will get to a global season maybe quicker if we go to the 6 Nations. TRC wont survive without the Springboks, Soup is already on its last legs.

Player management is going to be our biggest challenge going forward. With our players scattered across Europe and Japan and local teams competing in the Currie Cup, URC, European Cups we are going to have to develop some serious depth locally and in the Bok Squad to juggle availability, injuries and planned player rest periods. Each URC team are going to have to develop 2 squads and the Boks will likely need 4-5 players in each position that could just slot in and understand the systems and gameplans.

I think that is going to be the goal of this World Cup cycle for Rassie. While some countries are going into rebuilding cycles and England and NZ are figuring out their eligibility policies, we are finally ahead of the curve. We still have a solid core of players available for this cycle and our eligibility policy has proven its worth in the last 6 years. The Boks will be able to keep most of their core players for this RWC cycle and Rassie can focus on blooding and integrating the next generation of players and build some depth for 2027 and 2031.

And locally I hope the URC teams will get some cash injections to expands their squads a little so they can compete in URC and Europe and the Currie Cup. I really worry about the Lions; they need some cash and they are stuck with Ellis Park. They can't sell it, and they can't really afford to rent an alternate smaller ground and the area is unlikely to get gentrified anytime soon. They really are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Why can't they sell it?

[Blake]

Why can't they sell it?

I mean, they could, but I doubt they'd get a decent price for it. Unlike Newlands which was located in a nice neighbourhood, I don't think there are any developers interested in Ellis Park. The surrounding areas are just so run down. At least once Newlands gets sold, my understanding is that WP Rugby will have a stake in the real estate that will be developed on the land. The revenue from those leases will help fund the union and the clubs into the future.

But for the Lions, without a similar deal like that, even if they did manage to find a buyer, once Ellis Park has been sold, the fixed expense of maintaining it gets replaced with a viarable expense of having to rent training grounds and training facilities in the week, and a match day venue and then hoping the ticket and concessions sales cover that cost.

The cost-benefit analysis becomes quite complicated very quickly.