Richie Mo’unga’s management team have “played a blinder” as the fly-half prepares to embark on a “hit-and-run mission” after signing a short-term deal with New Zealand Rugby.
That is according to presenter and pundit Scotty Stevenson, who believes that the playmaker is the big winner after the long-running saga finally came to an end.
Mo’unga will return to New Zealand midway through 2026 after a lucrative three years in Japan and will look to force his way into the XV in time for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
There is a catch, however, with NZR preventing the 31-year-old from being eligible until October 2026, which rules him out of the mid-year Tests and the South Africa tour.
Stevenson “swears” that Mo’unga will again get his way, though, and will ultimately feature for the All Blacks immediately upon his return to New Zealand.
‘Why waste three of those months?’
“You cannot tell me that after 18 months of seeking this guy’s signature and now securing him on an 18-month deal, you’re going to burn three months of those 18 months watching him run around in the NPC while you’re on the most important tour in South Africa in 20 years. Really?” he said on Sport Nation’s Scotty and Izzy show.
“If you want a guy that badly and you sign him on that contract, why waste three of those months? They’re your rules and there are other things about the announcement which I find very ironic.
“This is a hit-and-run mission for Mo’unga. His management team have played a blinder here. He gets to come back, he’s on a short-term assignment, he’s on an assignment from the gaffer – Scott Robertson – and then he can still get out when the going’s good.”
Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie are currently competing for the fly-half jersey, while Ruben Love is also an option in the role, but Stevenson believes there is a key difference between Mo’unga and those three.
“The All Blacks will benefit from having depth at 10. Regardless of what you think about Richie Mo’unga and his All Black CV to date, he is essentially the only out-and-out 10 in the mix ahead of the Rugby World Cup,” he said.
“Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie are undeniably incredible players but both utility players, both full-backs/10.
“Ruben Love has enormous upside, we get that, but he is just starting out in his international career. Richie Mo’unga has been to two Rugby World Cups, he is a 10, he is a title-winning 10.”
Stevenson added: “No one’s pinning the World Cup hopes on Richie Mo’unga. What they’re trying to say is: ‘We actually need a 10 here’.
“We have short memories team; remember 2011? Had we not had depth at 10, do you think the All Blacks win the World Cup? I don’t think so.
“We know how crucial Aaron Cruden was, we know how crucial Colin Slade was and we also know now, with mythology and history as our friend, how crucial Stephen Donald was, even at 50 per cent of capacity.”
All Blacks great reacts
All Blacks great Israel Dagg, who co-hosts with Stevenson, agreed with the depth argument having experienced the situation first-hand at the 2011 World Cup.
Dagg starred in the tournament but thought their chances had ended when Dan Carter was ruled out of the remainder of the competition following an injury in training.
“I was there in 2011, it was devastating when Dan Carter went down; I thought it was the end,” he said.
“I thought it was game over; how the hell are we going to win this? Then a Colin Slade comes in, he starts delivering. And then an Aaron Cruden comes in and he plays out of this world in the semi-final with very limited preparation.
“This is about building depth. Richie Mo’unga has played 56 Tests at the highest level for his country and people are starting to question this decision.
“This isn’t against Beauden Barrett, this isn’t against Damian McKenzie, this is about building depth in the 10 position which is so vital. You look at Beaudy, he’s 36 in 2027.
“I’m not saying he can’t deliver because Dan Carter was a similar age at the 2015 World Cup and went on to be the best player at that World Cup.”