It came to nothing and Mo\u2019unga, who is preparing for what may be his third and final season in Japan, is in the south of the country on a training camp with Toshiba, the club he has helped to two consecutive League One championships.<\/p>\n
![\"Richie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/richie-mounga-in-action-during-the-2023-rugby-world-cup-in-f-MSR5I2TVF5EN5OCRLXY22W52SM.jpg\")
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Richie Mo’unga in action during the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. (Source: Getty)<\/p>\n
Speaking during the week of the All Blacks\u2019 Test against Ireland in Chicago, which they won after an resilient comeback<\/a>, Mo\u2019unga speaks impressively on a range of subjects. Among them, why he signed such a short contract with NZ Rugby (two years), the state of his 31-year-old body, and why it is \u201chard\u201d to read stories about him supposedly being an automatic selection at No.10 for New Zealand after what will be three years away.<\/p>\n But, first that question on the highly-anticipated \u201cGreatest Rivalry\u201d <\/a>tour which will take the place of the Rugby Championship in 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of All Blacks\u2019 fans,\u201d Mo\u2019unga is asked, \u201cwould love to see you on that tour of South Africa next year but you may be playing for Canterbury in the NPC. How do you reconcile that?\u201d<\/p>\n Clearly not wanting to offend anyone, including Canterbury\u2019s fans or his potential future coaches and teammates, he responds carefully. <\/p>\n \u201cAny time you get the opportunity to represent your province is an honour,\u201d he says. \u201cI grew up watching and playing for Canterbury and the Crusaders in some great teams. <\/p>\n \u201cI am excited to play for Canterbury. Is it what I want to do or why I am coming back to New Zealand? No, it\u2019s not. That South African tour is actually something I\u2019d love to be part of. <\/p>\n \u201cI get the rules that have been put in place and I guess I have to come to grips with that is what it is. But yeah, the South African tour would be something special to be part of.\u201d<\/p>\n He adds: \u201cHey, we\u2019ll see what happens. I\u2019m still very optimistic that something might happen and I might be available for that tour. So, I\u2019m still hopeful.\u201d<\/p>\n His optimism and hope will be shared by his many supporters who see him as the only man capable of driving the All Blacks to a fourth World Cup victory after two years of the Robertson campaign which has been notable for inconsistency<\/a>.<\/p>\n Barrett, the current top All Blacks\u2019 first-five, will be 35 in May and, for all his talent and experience (144 Tests), cannot control Tests like he used to. And McKenzie, who will turn 31 in April, proved once again on the recent Grand Slam tour that he is best used as an impact player in the biggest Tests.<\/p>\n Richie Mo’unga played more than 100 games for the Crusaders before his departure to Japan. (Source: Photosport)<\/p>\n Not surprisingly for a man on his way back from the international wilderness, such talk does not sit well with Mo\u2019unga as he explains when asked about linking again with head coach Robertson, a man with whom he enjoyed so much success<\/a> (seven straight titles) at the Crusaders.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going home to give myself the best chance to play for the All Blacks again but I understand it\u2019s not a given,\u201d he says. \u201cThere is still so much to do and prove that I can still be in that jersey. That\u2019s where my head is at. <\/p>\n \u201cI really want to get a good season under my belt here. Going back, it\u2019s about earning the respect of current All Blacks and current All Black management and letting them know I\u2019m still capable of playing some good rugby.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s hard seeing articles when I re-signed with New Zealand Rugby about being possibly being the No.10 for the All Blacks or who\u2019s in the way, blah, blah, blah.<\/p>\n \u201cI have no expectation of walking straight back into that team. I\u2019m willing to play a whole season for Canterbury to earn the right. That\u2019s my mentality. I\u2019m not just walking in\u2026 I really want to earn the respect and trust \u2013 because the team has changed so much.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are so many players there I\u2019ve never played with and some I\u2019ve never played Super Rugby against.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s my drive. But going back to your question, yeah, I\u2019m excited about seeing Razor and the management. I spent a lot of time with them, so I can\u2019t wait.\u201d<\/p>\n Mo\u2019unga\u2019s remarkable run of success at Canterbury and the Crusaders has continued at Toshiba under Todd Blackadder, the former All Blacks captain and Crusaders head coach.<\/p>\n Which raises the question: where is he at physically compared with when he left the All Blacks after that heart-breaking World Cup final defeat to South Africa <\/a>at the Stade de France in November, 2023? <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, that\u2019s a tough one,\u201d Mo\u2019unga replies.<\/p>\n Mo’unga celebrates a Super Rugby final victory with Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson. (Source: Photosport)<\/p>\n \u201cI guess the areas I\u2019ve grown are areas [that] aren\u2019t really to do with my [playing] abilities. I\u2019ve become more of a leader. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had to step up in a lot of different areas off the rugby field and that\u2019s to try to lead this team in terms of the way the schedule is run or what our game plan looks like for the first six weeks; how I can make our halfbacks better or what skills our team need to be better at to try to be competitive this season.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d say those areas are the most important when you come to League One because they can make the biggest differences and how your team is feeling mindset-wise when you\u2019re heading into a game.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m working with our forwards a lot more than I usually would back in New Zealand because sometimes lineouts and scrums struggle here so you come up with plans to help that and find ways around it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has taught me a lot about rugby and that there is not just one way to play it.<\/p>\n \u201cOther than that, I\u2019m feeling pretty good, man. I\u2019m feeling pretty fit.\u201d<\/p>\n In reinforcing his point ahead of a campaign which features six pre-season matches (he will play in the last two), and which officially starts on December 12, Mo\u2019unga adds: \u201cPhysically, apart from breaking my hand last year in the semifinal, I haven\u2019t had any injuries since I\u2019ve been in Japan. <\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t had any niggles. The body has been good \u2013 I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s the rugby I\u2019m playing now or whether it\u2019s because we get more rest and bye weeks. But my body is holding up really well.\u201d<\/p>\n Mo\u2019unga, who will turn 32 in May, has played 56 Tests after making his All Blacks debut in 2017 but only asserted himself as the All Blacks\u2019 best No.10 during the last couple of years of his international career.<\/p>\n He was in and out of the starting line-up under previous coaches Sir Steve Hansen and Ian Foster, which almost certainly helped lead to his announcement late in 2022<\/a> that he was heading to Japan with his family for three years.<\/p>\n The time away has broadened his horizons off the field and opened his eyes to new ways of playing on it. <\/p>\n The style and season structure has also helped him physically \u2013 teams in League One will have six byes this season. Every team has a bye after three matches which means players routinely get through 80 minutes a week.<\/p>\n Widely known as an unflappable and mature player, Mo\u2019unga says taking control of a team featuring former internationals such as All Black Shannon Frizell, Fijian Seta Tamanivalu and Japan captain Michael Leitch, plus local players, has helped grow his game.<\/p>\n The role of the modern No.10<\/p>\n Asked whether he felt the role of an international No.10 had changed during his time away, Mo\u2019unga replies: \u201cIn Japan, the No.10 is so crucial as a game driver and playmaker. It\u2019s imperative to have a controlled, high-IQ No.10 in Japan.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know the right things to play in terms of scoreboard pressure and time, the skillset your own team has. It makes a big difference.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess around the world, it\u2019s an important position but what we\u2019ve seen is 10 is probably sharing the role more with the No.9.<\/p>\n \u201cA long time ago 10 would be the out and out game driver. But if you look at really good international teams like Ireland and France, that responsibility is shared with the 9 and he has more on his shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\n Changing topics, he is asked why he signed such a short contract with NZ Rugby <\/a>when a longer term could have included a sabbatical clause which would have allowed him to spend another season in Japan or elsewhere without giving up his All Blacks\u2019 spot.<\/p>\n \u201cSome people may hate to hear me say this but it allows me to do what I feel like doing at that time,\u201d Mo\u2019unga replies. \u201cAt the time of finishing a World Cup, whatever the feeling is, or whatever the family situation\u2026 it allows me to be really flexible \u2013 and that\u2019s all it is.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not saying I won\u2019t stay in New Zealand post-2027, I\u2019m not saying I didn\u2019t sign [a longer contract] because I had something else teed up in Japan or somewhere else, it literally allows me to be flexible to decide what\u2019s best for me and what\u2019s best for my family.\u201d<\/p>\n Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie reflect on the All Blacks’ recent defeat to England. (Source: Photosport)<\/p>\n Christchurch-born and bred, Mo\u2019unga, who has the original Crusaders\u2019 emblem tattooed on a leg, is asked whether he could play for another Super Rugby team.<\/p>\n \u201cAt this point in my career, I don\u2019t think I could play for any other team, unless I really had to,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cCanterbury is home and I grew up loving the team. Obviously, I played over 100 games for the Crusaders. I still watch all the Crusaders games when I\u2019m in Japan and keep in touch closely with the boys and always wish them well. <\/p>\n \u201cIn another world or another life, Moana Pasifika would have been great. It would have been a cool story. But going home was to try to give myself chance to play at a World Cup and playing for the Crusaders does that for me.<\/p>\n \u201cGoing home also is to spend more time with my mum and for my kids to be with their family.\u201d<\/p>\n Before the conversation concludes, Mo\u2019unga is asked how he feels the All Blacks will go on their Grand Slam tour (they go on to beat Ireland<\/a>, Scotland <\/a>and Wales <\/a>but lose to England<\/a>). <\/p>\n \u201cI just saw the team named to play Ireland and I\u2019m excited about this game,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n \u201cI think they\u2019ll do well. We\u2019ll get more of a gauge after this tour because it\u2019s one of the hardest they\u2019ve had in ages against some real quality sides. It will be tough but I\u2019m hoping they can go through and win all their games. <\/p>\n \u201cIt would be awesome to see some of that consistency on this tour.\u201d<\/p>\n Right now, it\u2019s time for breakfast before a field session and gym training in the afternoon.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s good, I\u2019ve been holding tackle bags for the last couple of weeks,\u201d Mo\u2019unga says. \u201cI\u2019ve got to get up for the boys and get them prepared for this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including a New Zealander at the heart of an affair rocking British finance, a suspicious fire prompts safety warnings, and a returning rugby star\u2019s black jersey ambition. (Source: Breakfast)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Richie Mo\u2019unga is on the phone to 1News from Kagoshima, a city near the southern tip of Japan…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":151875,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[789,56380,111,139,69,1838,213],"class_list":{"0":"post-151874","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-all-blacks","9":"tag-crusaders","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-newzealand","12":"tag-nz","13":"tag-rugby-world-cup","14":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151874"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151874\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Richie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/richie-mounga-kicks-a-goal-for-the-crusaders-YH2YH233AJGRDCS47BRHGNN4XY.jpg\")
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