All Blacks coach: No
Matt Todd’s selection for the upcoming northern tour doesn’t set a dangerous precedent, All Blacks coach Steven Hansen insists.
The 30-year-old was one of 51 players named by New Zealand Rugby (NZR) chairman Brent Impey yesterday, despite playing for Japanese club Panasonic.
While South Africa allows players to represent foreign clubs and still play for their country, NZR requires players to remain in the country to be eligible for the All Blacks.
However, Todd’s name was the 27th called at the Prebbleton clubrooms near Christchurch, joining fellow openside flankers Ardie Savea and uncapped Dalton Papalii in the 32-man squad to play the bulk of the tour.
Todd’s contract with the Robbie Deans coached Panasonic outfit didn’t include a clause which catered for a short-term release to the All Blacks, but Sam Cane’s serious neck injury prompted the All Blacks to approach the NZR board, Todd and Panasonic.
Hansen said no compensation was paid to Panasonic, and picking Todd was about having the best players on deck less than a year out from the World Cup in Japan.
‘‘No, I don’t think so,’’ Hansen said when asked if picking Todd set a precedent.
‘‘The big thing that swung it in our minds, and for the board, is that he’s contracted [to NZR and the Crusaders] next year. We just really saw him as being on a holiday, and we’ve asked him to come back from holiday.’’
Todd, who was not named in the All Blacks initial squad for the June test series, signed a short-term deal with Panasonic the same month, and joined the