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Brodie Retallick drops hint about All Blacks future after World Cup
By Online Editors
Will he stay or will he go?
That has been the question surrounding Brodie Retallick's future as the All Blacks' post-World Cup exodus begins to ramp up.
There have been a raft of New Zealand internationals signing deals with offshore clubs from 2020 onwards, with Kieran Read (Toyota Verblitz), Ben Smith (Pau), Owen Franks (Northampton), Liam Squire (NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes), Waisake Naholo (London Irish), Nehe Milner-Skudder (Toulon), Jackson Hemopo (Mitsubishi Dynaboars), Luke Whitelock (Pau), Jordan Taufua (Leicester Tigers), Matt Proctor (Northampton) and Jeffery Toomaga-Allen (Wasps) all securing their futures in Europe or Japan after this year's World Cup.
Rumours have been circulating of Retallick joining them, with the 75-test veteran yet to commit to either New Zealand Rugby or an overseas team with just eight months left on his existing contract with NZR.
The 27-year-old lock was linked with a switch to Premiership side Sale Sharks earlier this year, but shot down speculation of such a move on social media, posting: "No one thought to ask but no I'm not going to be playing for Sale ... Not that I know off [sic] anyway."
Since then, murmurings have arisen of reigning Japanese Top League champions Kobe Steelers chasing his signature in a move which would see him link up with former World Cup-winning All Blacks teammate Dan Carter.
That transfer could come in the form of a sabbatical move as leading All Blacks look to cash in on the Top League's 'double season', when two seasons will be held within one year in 2020 as a result of a clash in scheduling with the World Cup in Japan.
"In terms of my post-World Cup future, I'm not too sure yet and I'm still sort of working through that," he said.
"At the conclusion of the World Cup, I will be 28-years-old and I would like to think that I still have something to offer the All Black jersey, but I have to work it [my future] out and see how it looks.
"I have been a part of the All Blacks for a while now and it's been great. It was always a big goal of mine to make the All Blacks, and with the World Cup being at the back end of the year in Japan, it's pretty big."
While maintaining that his sole focus for the time being is with the Chiefs - whose win in South Africa was their first of the year after a five-match winless run to open their campaign - Retallick was mindful of the excessive loss of talent and experience the All Blacks were set to concede at the end of the year.
The departure of captain Kieran Read was a particularly significant blow, but Retallick was confident that the All Blacks would be able to find a sufficient replacement.
"Kieran has been around for a long time and is certainly both a great player and leader, so there is definitely going to be a void there," he said.
"But what New Zealand rugby prides itself on is that when someone steps away, it's an opportunity for someone else to fill the void and stamp their mark on the black jersey.
"I'm sure that there are some young boys already wanting to step into the jersey when Kieran and a few others opt to go post-World Cup."
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Latest Comments
Yes that’s what WR needs to look at. Football had the same problem with european powerhouses getting all the latin talent then you’re gaurenteed to get the odd late bloomer (21/22 etc, all the best footballers can play for the country much younger to get locked) star changing his allegiance.
They used youth rep selection for locking national elifibilty at one point etc. Then later only counted residency after the age of 18 (make clubs/nations like in this case wait even longer).
That’s what I’m talking about, not changing allegiance in rugby (were it can only be captured by the senior side), where it is still the senior side. Oh yeah, good point about CJ, so in most cases we probably want kids to be able to switch allegiance, were say someone like Lemoto could rep Tonga (if he wasn’t so good) but still play for Australia’s seniors, while in someone like Kite’s (the last aussie kid to go to France) case he’ll be French qualified via 5 years residency at the age of 21, so France to lock him up before Aussie even get a chance to select him. But if we use footballs regulations, who I’m suggesting WR need to get their a into g replicating, he would only start his 5 years once he turns 18 or whatever, meaning 23 yo is as soon as anyone can switch, and when if they’re good enough teams like NZ and Aus can select them (France don’t give a f, they select anybody just to lock them).
Go to commentsThe only benefit of the draft idea is league competitiveness. There would be absolutely no commercial value in a draft with rugby’s current interest levels.
I wonder what came first in america? I’m assuming it’s commercial aspect just built overtime and was a side effect essentially.
But the idea is not without merit as a goal. The first step towards being able to implement a draft being be creating it’s source of draftees. Where would you have the players come from? NFL uses college, and players of an age around 22 are generally able to step straight into the NFL. Baseball uses School and kids (obviously nowhere near pro level being 3/4 years younger) are sent to minor league clubs for a few years, the equivalent of the Super Rugby academies. I don’t think the latter is possible legally, and probably the most unethical and pointless, so do we create a University scene that builds on and up from the School scene? There is a lot of merit in that and it would tie in much better with our future partners in Japan and America.
Can we used the club scene and dispose of the Super Rugby academies? The benefit of this is that players have no association to their Super side, ie theyre not being drafted elshwere after spending time as a Blues or Chiefs player etc, it removes the negative of investing in a player just to benefit another club. The disadvantage of course is that now the players have nowhere near the quality of coaching and each countries U20s results will suffer (supposedly).
Or are we just doing something really dirty and making a rule that the only players under the age of 22 (that can sign a pro contract..) that a Super side can contract are those that come from the draft? Any player wanting to upgrade from an academy to full contract has to opt into the draft?
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