Steve Lancaster: New NZ Rugby CEO discusses the eligibility policy, his plans for the game and the organisation
About this episode
Steve Lancaster discusses the eligibility policy and plans for New Zealand Rugby.
Newly appointed New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Lancaster has doubled down on the organisation’s eligibility policy, confirming returning first five-eighth Richie Mo’unga will not be selected for the All Blacks’ initial squads for the July series or the tour to South Africa. Mo’unga has signed an 18-month contract with New Zealand Rugby (NZR) to return home after spending the past three years with Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo in Japan. The deal begins in July and runs through until the end of next year’s Rugby World Cup. The timing of the contract means the 31-year-old must first play for Canterbury in the NPC before becoming eligible for All Blacks selection again in October. The NPC season kicks off in late July. That means Mo’unga would miss the three tests in New Zealand against France, Italy and Ireland before the team heads to South Africa for a four-test tour, which also features midweek matches against provincial sides. Lancaster said NZR had discussed Mo’unga’s situation internally but had not asked the board to relax the rules at the recent AGM, which require overseas-based players returning to New Zealand to play domestically before…
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