Barrett’s request gets boot
New Zealand Rugby’s eligibility rules have survived a major test case after Beauden Barrett’s request to be selected for the All Blacks from offshore following next year’s World Cup was rejected. The Herald can reveal that before the All Blacks’ northern tour, Barrett, through his agent, logged a request with New Zealand Rugby that would allow him to be selected for the national team as part of a two-year deal with an overseas club.
It is believed the proposal would have seen Barrett then return to New Zealand for the 2026 and 2027 seasons, with a view to potentially playing another World Cup.
All Blacks management are understood to have supported Barrett’s right to make the exemption request, and indicated the 112-test playmaker would be selected beyond the World Cup.
New Zealand Rugby’s long-standing eligibility policy requires players to feature within the country’s competitions — Super Rugby and the NPC — to be selected for the All Blacks.
Regular exceptions however have been made in recent times, with Barrett, Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock fast-tracked straight into the All Blacks, without first playing Super Rugby or for their provinces, after sabbaticals in Japan.
Permitting Barrett to be selected while on a twoyear deal abroad would be a significant leap — one the national body was not prepared to take.
Set against a backdrop of concern from some Super Rugby and provincial unions, the Herald understands the New Zealand Rugby board discussed the Barrett proposal but decided to reject the request.
The board had to weigh the risk and reward that pitted protecting Super Rugby’s retention aims and the message granting another exemption would send to New Zealand’s talent development pathways.
Inevitably, the potential precedent would also see other leading figures expect to follow Barrett’s lead.
Barrett turns 33 in 2024, the year following the World Cup. While now considered the All Blacks’ first-choice fullback, with Richie Mo’unga favoured at first five-eighth and Jordie Barrett locking in his presence outside him at No 12, the NZR board considered the increased risk profile attached to an ageing athlete.
The realisation is also dawning on some within NZR hierarchy that while sabbaticals have helped retain many senior All Blacks, Jerome Kaino is the only figure to return home immediately better than or equal to the influential player who departed.
Barrett is one of many All Blacks set to be in high demand after the World Cup. The Herald on Sunday understands he has fielded interest from French club Racing 92, and after spending one season with Suntory last year, he has options to return to Japan.
However, the Japanese Top League, the increasingly favoured destination for elite All Blacks to cash in, is said to be rapidly changing its views on short-term, stop-gap recruits.
Ardie Savea, named the All Blacks’ best player for a second successive year on Thursday, has signed a six-month agreement with Kobe for the 2024 season — yet many Japanese clubs are now viewing such arrangements as more disruptive than they are worth.
The Japanese landscape is shifting towards signing foreign players on longer-term deals that provide greater stability and value for money. This is why Barrett’s request to be selected while offshore for two years provides such a strong test case for NZR’s eligibility rules.
With the national body having rejected that request, Barrett is now believed to be reconsidering his post-World Cup options, as he retains a strong desire to represent the All Blacks.
Barrett’s future availability holds greater importance, with Mo’unga expected to soon confirm his post-World Cup departure to Japan on a long-term deal.
Damian McKenzie is also off contract at the same time.
Should the Chiefs playmaker opt to leave then, too, the All Blacks would be light on first-five candidates apart from Blues playmaker Stephen Perofeta and patiently waits in the wings after resigning through to 2024 and being used sparingly by the All Blacks this season.
There are high hopes for Hurricanes prospect Ruben Love too, but he has predominantly featured at fullback for the Hurricanes and All Blacks XV.