All Blacks have been through these ‘patches before’ as legendary coach rues the ‘chipping away’ of the jersey’s lure
Returning All Blacks fly-half Richie Mo'unga and Hurricanes' Fehi Fineanganofo, who has signed for Newcastle Red Bulls.
All Blacks legend Sir Steve Hansen believes that they have taken the jersey, and the success that has come with it, for granted, with it not quite having the same lure.
The national team was once the be-all and end-all for New Zealanders, but NZ Rugby is now struggling to keep its players in Super Rugby Pacific.
To keep some of their stars at home, they offer sabbaticals, which allow them to take a short stint abroad and earn a hefty pay package while remaining eligible for the All Blacks.
But in some cases, even that is not enough as some, such as Richie Mo’unga and Shannon Frizell, decided to sign long-term deals overseas – albeit they will return for the Rugby World Cup.
The bigger concern for the All Blacks
What is perhaps more concerning for NZR is the younger individuals forgoing the opportunity to play Test rugby for New Zealand in order to take up a lucrative offer abroad.
Fehi Fineanganofo has arguably been the form player in Super Rugby in 2026, but the 23-year-old has already agreed a deal to sign for Newcastle Red Bulls.
With Riley Higgins (23) departing and Devan Flanders (26), who has been touted for Test honours this season, weighing up his options, they could be losing potential superstars.
Hansen was duly asked on the DSPN podcast as to whether representing the All Blacks is still the ambition for most players.
“It still is, but everything that goes with it, there have been a few edges that have been cut up and a lot of toing and froing around coaching through the last World Cup and prior to that,” he said.
“All that negative stuff that comes out just chips away at the edges, but if you put an All Black jersey down on the table and said: ‘Right, you can have that, or you can go and play for Munster’, I’d say 90 per cent, probably 95 per cent of the people say: ‘I’ll take the All Blacks one, thanks’.
“But we can’t take it for granted, and there has been a little bit of that as well, that we have taken it for granted and we went through a period where we’re very, very successful and this is boring because we’re always winning, but that’s the nature of the human being.”
NZ Rugby’s overseas policy
NZ Rugby have constantly held firm regarding their overseas policy, refusing to allow players to represent the All Blacks while plying their trade abroad.
The governing body is therefore looking at different ways to convince those individuals to remain, and Hansen believes that the new stadium in Christchurch is a step in the right direction.
One NZ Stadium, which is the Crusaders’ new ground, hosted Super Rugby last weekend and it proved to be a huge process with three consecutive days of full houses.
“We start taking things for granted, and then we get what we’re getting at the moment. But we’ve been through patches like this before, too, and now it’s time to rebuild and re-establish and re-excite everybody. What happened down in Christchurch is something that will excite a lot of people,” Hansen reckoned.
“They want to play in that stadium and all of a sudden, there’s another reason to stay. So, we’ve got to find reasons that excite players and young people to be involved in our game in our country.”
