Ex-All Blacks star Justin Marshall believes there is a certain irony that NZ Rugby decided not to swallow their pride over Richie Mo’unga’s contentious non-selection.
Dave Rennie was unable to pick their 2023 Rugby World Cup-starting fly-half for their tour to South Africa as he needed to play an NPC game before becoming eligible.
With the New Zealand wider training group being picked prior to that Canterbury clash taking place, Mo’unga was not allowed to be named.
Billy Proctor injury and what happens with Mo’unga
Should an injury occur, the 32-year-old can come into the squad, albeit it seems that there has to be a withdrawal in the playmaking position for that to happen, rather than repeating the Springboks’ trick at the previous World Cup and bringing in Handre Pollard for hooker Malcolm Marx.
As a result, the head coach would be going back on his own words should the pivot be a replacement for Billy Proctor, who suffered an injury in the victory over the Stormers.
Marshall has fumed with the governing body over the current situation and, appearing on the Boks Unpacked podcast, his anger has not died down.
“I don’t know what we’re up to there, honestly,” he said, before Springboks legend Schalk Burger asked: “There’s got to be a way that you can use him on this tour, surely?”
Marshall duly responded with his thoughts, bemoaning the fact that Mo’unga had already played two matches before last weekend’s NPC encounter.
“The interesting topic to debate is the fact that the New Zealand Rugby Union said that he had to play an NPC game before he could qualify to be selected for the All Blacks,” he said.
“That wasn’t going to happen until after the squad was announced, so that’s why he’s not been picked.
“The irony of it is he played two club games before he played the NPC game, so what they are then saying is no club rugby player can get picked for the All Blacks because you obviously have to go through the NPC.
“How wrong is that? You should be a club player out there that if you’re good enough, you should [be able to play for the All Blacks].”
New Zealand, alongside Ireland and England, are the nations that stipulate players must be playing in their own country in order to be eligible, but NZ Rugby are stricter when it comes to the exact time those individuals can become available after returning.
‘We will just invent the Rassie rule’
“It’s just bizarre how we’ve managed to manufacture a law within our own governing body; this is not a World Rugby thing,” Marshall fumed.
“Why do we not want one of the greatest 10s to have ever played for the All Blacks playing in a series that hasn’t happened for 30 years? Why is he not here?
“The fact that he might not still get here, we will just invent the Rassie rule.”
Marshall’s quip about Erasmus’ decision to replace a hooker with a fly-half led to Burger joking: “For that to happen, one of your hookers has got to get injured, you’ve got to lose one of your hookers to bring Richie Mo’unga across.”
Conversation then moved on to the incumbent fly-half, Ruben Love, who has started all three Tests under Rennie so far.
Beauden Barrett was handed a chance against the Stormers, but he struggled on Friday, while Damian McKenzie has been featuring at full-back.
Marshall feels Love “has been going brilliantly”, but still believes that there would be huge value in bringing Mo’unga over, even if he’s not playing.
“I think it creates a good, competitive environment. I feel that Ruben Love would grow from having a guy like Richie Mo’unga around him,” the former scrum-half said.
“Richie’s a very team-oriented guy. Even if he wasn’t starting the Test match and he’s coming off the bench, he would be happy.
“What he would give in terms of the team and his guidance and everything, it would be vital. That’s not a slight on Ruben Love and the way he’s playing, it’s like why is that oke not here? Why is he not part of the All Blacks?”