Legendary All Blacks flanker Michael Jones believes that unions need to adopt eligibility rules more akin to rugby league, dubbing World Rugby’s current laws as archaic.
The 1987 World Cup-winning back-rower says that union is losing the battle of ‘hearts and minds’ to league in New Zealand and particularly among Pacific Islanders.
Michael Jones: League is overtaking union
The 61-year-old spoke to AFP before the announcement of Moana Pasifika’s demise, with the club set to disband at the end of the current Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
According to Jones, league has become the ‘game of the people right now’ with the All Blacks losing their aura among the fans.
The 55 Test All Black told AFP that the positivity, innovation and creativity of rugby league’s administrators was causing headaches for rugby union.
“You’ve got to tip your hat to what rugby league is doing, but honestly if rugby keeps their heads in the clouds we’ll all be playing league,” he said.
“Rugby has such a heritage and legacy and the All Blacks is a powerful brand.
“But we’re kidding ourselves if we think the All Blacks will always be the All Blacks, that they’ll always be that to our nation and to the people of the Pacific.”
He believes that union needs to follow league’s lead and make changes to their eligibility laws to really capture the Pacific public.
“If Pacific rugby is strong, New Zealand rugby is strong,” he said, adding that it would be a “tragedy” if rugby union did not find a way to better cater for Pacific supporters.
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He says that the ability for players to easily chop and change who they represent at the international level is ‘holding back the ability to really promote the game’, slamming World Rugby’s current regulations as ‘archaic’, and it is to the detriment of the Pacific nations.
“Samoa and Tonga are really on the periphery of world rugby. That’s not the case in league,” he added.
Eligibility laws are stunting the growth of union
In 2022, World Rugby updated its eligibility laws, allowing players to change their international allegiance once during their career, provided they have a birthright link and have stood down from Test rugby for three years.
In league, they can change from a tier-one nation like Australia, New Zealand, or England to a tier-two nation year-on-year.
Ken Laban, a rugby league broadcaster and former player, says that league’s rules have ‘created unbelievable growth’ while union has ‘actively prevented that from happening’.