Make no mistake, rugby league’s loss is rugby union’s gain. It could also be New Zealand Rugby’s gain – if they’re prepared to budge on a policy that’s becoming more outdated by the year.
At present, only New Zealand, Ireland, England and France refuse to pick players based outside their own country. On the flipside, South Africa have won the last two World Cups with players playing abroad.
In a way, New Zealand Rugby’s stance here is admirable. Opening up the selection borders would trigger a mass departure, and see anyone who could attract an overseas contract leave Aotearoa for Japan, France, England and so on, and effectively kill Super Rugby.
However, if they were to adopt an Australian ”Giteau’s law” type system, where players who meet certain criteria can still be picked from abroad, there would be no need to fret.
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While NZR would need to swallow its pride in copying Rugby Australia, doing so could greatly benefit the game as we know it.
Look no further than Manu’s former Roosters teammate Joseph Sua’ali’i.
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After first shining in rugby as a Sydney schoolboy, the Roosters wasted no time in snapping up Sua’ali’i – as they do with promising youth on both sides of the Tasman – and had to get a dispensation from the NRL to let him debut as a 17-year-old.
Now, after signing with Rugby Australia and the Waratahs, Sua’ali’i hasn’t looked out of place in a Wallabies jersey. He was even man-of-the-match on test debut against England, his first professional game of rugby.
While accepting that there could have been enough residual rugby know-how in Sua’ali’i to see him swim instead of sink, Manu is easily a better player than his former teammate.
At 28, Manu has experienced more of the NRL – a tougher and more competitive competition – and established himself as a player that the Roosters didn’t want to lose. Their only solace was that he joined another code instead of an NRL rival.
Manu’s skillset lends itself to test rugby, perhaps more so than Sua’ali’i’s does. He can run, he can distribute, he can tackle, he can offload. He’s even shown in short stints at fullback and five-eighths that he can kick when called upon. However, it would be at centre where Manu would best be utilised by the All Blacks.
Rieko Ioane has become Robertson’s first choice, but still appears to have the instinct of a winger – where he made his name. There have been many times where Ioane’s first desire appears to be to take on a defender, rather than look to create space and free a teammate.
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Billy Proctor was the standout centre in Super Rugby Pacific and also looked promising in test appearances against Fiji in Japan. However, Robertson and backs coach Jason Holland watched Proctor in every training session and still decided they hadn’t seen enough.
Likewise, Anton Lienert-Brown has also been impressive in his limited opportunities, but his ability to cover both midfield roles and potentially the wing will likely see him occupy a utility spot on the bench for the time being.
Manu’s Toyota Verblitz director of rugby, Sir Steve Hansen, has already compared him to former All Black Sonny Bill Williams.
“Joey and Sonny are excellent athletes, and there’s no reason he can’t be a similar success,” Hansen told the Sydney Morning Herald in April.
“We want him to achieve his goals, and along the way, he’ll help us achieve ours.”
In 2008, Williams quit the NRL to play rugby in France for Toulon, before returning to New Zealand and becoming an All Black two years later.
Manu is five years older than Williams was at the time of his switch, but that’s all the more reason to make the move now and give him time to get used to the requirements of test rugby before the World Cup in 2027.
Williams’ case meant he had to finish his time with Toulon before returning home, but in this day and age, it would be unfair to ask Manu to do the same.
Manu is only on an initial one-year contract in Japan but would have a hard time saying no to what could be on offer if and when the time comes to re-sign.
If he’s any kind of success, and therefore catches All Black selectors’ eyes, New Zealand Rugby wouldn’t be able to put the same offer on the table if they wanted to.
However, as previously mentioned by All Blacks playing overseas, allowing the current generation to be picked from abroad would also mean they can benefit from sharing a dressing room with quality players around them.
In Manu’s hypothetical case, he’d be rubbing shoulders with All Blacks great Aaron Smith, and current South African star Pieter-Steph du Toit, as well as being coached by Ian Foster. There’s more than enough international know-how there for Manu to learn from, even if the standard of Japan’s League One might not be what the All Blacks consider the highest level.
Look as far as Ireland. The trio of Jamison Gibson-Park, Bundee Aki and James Lowe were nowhere near test standard when playing Super Rugby.
But being exposed to a new style and new way of thinking has turned them into world-beaters. Manu is raw and far from the finished product – having not even played a professional XV-a-side game, yet.
Admittedly, reforming the Robertson-Mo’unga partnership in a black jersey would all but solve the All Blacks’ issues at No 10. But the world game has already seen the good that can be done in pinching players out of another code.
If Manu can have half as much impact as SBW or Sua’ali’i, surely it’s worth a punt three years out from the next World Cup?
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