All Blacks legend Sir Steve Hansen believes that they have taken the jersey, and the success that has come with it, for granted, with it not quite having the same lure.<\/p>\n
The national team was once the be-all and end-all for New Zealanders, but NZ Rugby is now struggling to keep its players in Super Rugby Pacific.<\/p>\n
To keep some of their stars at home, they offer sabbaticals, which allow them to take a short stint abroad and earn a hefty pay package while remaining eligible for the All Blacks.<\/a><\/p>\n But in some cases, even that is not enough as some, such as Richie Mo\u2019unga and Shannon Frizell, decided to sign long-term deals overseas \u2013 albeit they will return for the Rugby World Cup.<\/p>\n The bigger concern for the All Blacks<\/p>\n What is perhaps more concerning for NZR is the younger individuals forgoing the opportunity to play Test rugby for New Zealand in order to take up a lucrative offer abroad.<\/p>\n Fehi Fineanganofo has arguably been the form player in Super Rugby<\/a> in 2026, but the 23-year-old has already agreed a deal to sign for Newcastle Red Bulls.<\/p>\n With Riley Higgins (23) departing and Devan Flanders (26), who has been touted for Test honours this season, weighing up his options, they could be losing potential superstars.<\/p>\n Hansen<\/a> was duly asked on the DSPN<\/a> podcast as to whether representing the All Blacks is still the ambition for most players.<\/p>\n \u201cIt still is, but everything that goes with it, there have been a few edges that have been cut up and a lot of toing and froing around coaching through the last World Cup and prior to that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAll that negative stuff that comes out just chips away at the edges, but if you put an All Black jersey down on the table and said: \u2018Right, you can have that, or you can go and play for Munster\u2019, I\u2019d say 90 per cent, probably 95 per cent of the people say: \u2018I\u2019ll take the All Blacks one, thanks\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we can\u2019t take it for granted, and there has been a little bit of that as well, that we have taken it for granted and we went through a period where we\u2019re very, very successful and this is boring because we\u2019re always winning, but that\u2019s the nature of the human being.\u201d<\/p>\n