a. Savea is calling for change regarding eligibility

Guillaume Marion, Media365, published on Saturday, March 30, 2024 at 1:50 pm.

Currently in Japan since the end of the World Cup, Ardie Savea can no longer be selected for the All Blacks. Faced with this situation, the third line wants to change the rules.

Will we soon witness a real revolution among blacks? In fact, while The rules around eligibility are currently very strict in New Zealand (a player playing overseas cannot be selected), and some are now calling for a change. Ian Foster's successor at the helm of triple world champion selection, Scott Robertson will also support relaxing this rule. This is also the case for Ardi Savea who left the Hurricanes after the 2023 World Cup to discover the Japanese championship, with the Kobe Steelers. He was named the best player in the world for 2023, so the latter is currently no longer selectable. Times are changing. Things are changing quickly. What was successful five, ten, fifteen years ago may not be successful today. “We just have to be innovative and smart,” the All Blacks third row, who will return to the country next June, recently explained.

Springboks, a good example for Savea to follow

“The country that has proven to be successful and helpful is South AfricaThe majority of their team was playing (abroad) and they came together and won the World Cup. (…) I think it's good to play outside of New Zealand: I play against guys from South Africa, boys from the Pacific Islands who come from Tonga, Samoa, Japan, Australia. I encounter different types of players, different ways of playing. It's refreshingSavea also made the announcement to New Zealand media, including the New Zealand Herald. Whereas in New Zealand, I only play against New Zealand or Australian teams. » For his part, after his free presence in Japan, the best player in the world for 2023 will soon qualify again with the All Blacks team. So the third row should usually be among the players called up by Robertson to challenge England (twice) and Fiji this summer.