Ardie Savea informed New Zealand Rugby that he planned to quit the All Blacks in November last year, with a report rubbishing suggestions that he led a revolt leading to Scott Robertson\u2019s dismissal.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, NZR stunned the rugby world by announcing that Robertson<\/a> had been relieved of his head coach duties following an extensive review of the 2025 international season.<\/p>\n Reports at the time stated that Savea<\/a> was \u2018seriously unhappy\u2019 and gave NZ Rugby the ultimatum of it being him or Robertson, with the star loose forward willing to end his international career.<\/p>\n Ardie Savea\u2019s decision to quit the All Blacks<\/p>\n Furthermore, it was claimed that he was at the forefront of a player revolt against Robertson and his coaching team, but the New Zealand Herald\u2019s<\/a> latest report states those claims were wide of the mark.<\/p>\n Savea did inform NZ Rugby chair David Kirk that he wanted out of the final two years of his contract with the union during the Grand Slam tour last November, but the reasonings for that decision were family-driven and not a result of unhappiness with the coaching team.<\/p>\n \u201cSavea was explicit \u2013 he was struggling with what was effectively a nomadic lifestyle of being away from his home and family for long spells,\u201d Gregor Paul wrote for the publication.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the past two years, travelling for rugby meant he had missed a great deal of time with his wife Saskia Savea and three children, and his wider close-knit family.\u201d<\/p>\n The Herald was further informed that Savea felt that his \u2018only way out\u2019 was to end his NZR contract, and it is believed that he told Kirk that he was physically and mentally drained after a season of playing almost every game for both Moana Pasifika and the All Blacks<\/a>.<\/p>\n The publication claims that the 32-year-old is on a NZR contract worth north of $1 million a year, and the union would not agree to an early termination. Instead, Kirk explained how highly he is valued by NZ Rugby and that they did not want to lose him and would work with him to find ways to help him get through the next two years.<\/p>\n Then-head coach Robertson was not informed about the meeting between Savea and Kirk, with the player only informing the latter of his intentions a few days later in the week of the All Blacks\u2019 clash with England at the Allianz Stadium. He is understood to have said the same to Robertson as he did to Kirk.<\/p>\n Mike Blair: The \u2018fortunate\u2019 luxury the All Blacks have that\u2019s different from coaching in Scotland<\/a><\/p>\n Tension with Scott Robertson<\/p>\n Chief executive Mark Robinson, who had resigned from his position, and Robertson both reiterated that NZR would work with Savea to find a solution as they didn\u2019t want to lose him but at this time, Savea insisted that he was done.<\/p>\n The Herald spoke to more than 20 sources about Savea\u2019s situation and throughout their exhaustive search, there was no evidence that the back rower made an ultimatum about Robertson with his decision to step away from international rugby made for the reasons detailed above.<\/p>\n In fact, the publication adds that Savea was swayed and indicated that he would see out his contract a full month before Robertson was let go. It adds that, having seen how the narrative of the ultimatum has exploded on social media, feels he is perceived to be the international poster boy of player entitlement, which a source said he \u2018vehemently refutes\u2019. <\/p>\n \u201cBut two things can both be true at the same time,\u201d Paul concedes.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the Herald has been told that Savea wasn\u2019t enjoying the All Blacks environment in 2024 and 2025, and that it is believed that he felt he never developed a strong relationship with Robertson the way he did with previous All Blacks coach Ian Foster.\u201d<\/p>\n Scott Robertson\u2019s handling of \u2018respected\u2019 All Black reeked of \u2018needlessness\u2019 and inspired French move<\/a><\/p>\n Sources confirmed to the newspaper that difficulties with Savea and Robertson began when the forward opted to sign with Moana Pasifika -who did not have rest and rotation agreements in place with the All Blacks.<\/p>\n When talks start about his future after the 2023 World Cup, he had pre-agreed another sabbatical in Kobe for 2026. The Hurricanes, therefore, didn\u2019t want to have him available in 2025 and 2027, but not in 2026.<\/p>\n The Wellington club also didn\u2019t have the budget to meet his pay demands, while Moana are believed to have boosted their offer through a third-party deal, while Robertson and NZR general manager of professional rugby Chris Lendrum initially positioned themselves against the move, citing concerns over the club\u2019s high-performance culture, facilities and coaching. Savea ultimately joined Moana, taking up the opportunity to play for a team that aligned with his identity and family.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile there was tension between Savea and Robertson during the Moana negotiations, to say they never got on is not true,\u201d the report added.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are ample reports from people connected to the team that Savea and Robertson had a functioning, professional relationship and that the two had the same sort of informal, personal interactions as the coach did with other players.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018If one name comes out, all should come out\u2019 \u2013 Ex-All Black slams \u2018bullcrap\u2019 Ardie Savea criticism<\/a><\/p>\n A break on the cards?<\/p>\n While Robertson did appoint him as the off-field captain, sources state that Savea never felt that he was valued as a strategic, on-field leader, with meetings typically run by captain Scott Barrett, vice-captain Jordie Barrett and playmaker Beauden Barrett.<\/p>\n