NZ Rugby says it isn't blocking Pacific heritage players from representing island nations

RNZ News

5 hours ago

Jona Nareki in action for the Highlanders during a Super Rugby Pacific match earlier this year.
Photo:
Jaye Grieshaber/ActionPress
Professional rugby players contracted to New Zealand-based Super Rugby clubs are free to choose which national team they wish to represent, New Zealand Rugby (NZ Rugby) has confirmed.
The union made the comment following claims from the Flying Fijians head coach Mick Byrne that some Super Rugby contracts include clauses requiring players to remain eligible for the All Blacks, limiting their ability to play for Pacific Island nations.
During a local radio talk show on 11 June, Byrne raised concerns that two Highlanders players - Jona Nareki and Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens - had expressed interest in playing for Fiji.
Mick Byrne
Photo:
©INPHO/Ben Brady
Byrne, a former assistant All Blacks coach himself, said the players could not wear the white jersey due to certain clauses in their Super Rugby Pacific contracts restricting them from representing their country of heritage.
"This is probably going to be controversial because I am working on something at the moment," he said on fijivillage
Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan.
"There are Fijian players that wanna play for us, unfortunately they can't. Their contract in New Zealand does not allow them because it says they need to be available for the All Blacks.
"That holds us back because players are saying they would like to play but we cannot actually sign them."
According to him, all players playing in New Zealand at the moment, regardless of their nationality, were available to play for the All Blacks - whether they are from Tongan, Samoa, Fiji, or any of the European countries.
New Zealand can pick players from four or five different countries, he added.
He is hoping the NZ Rugby can agree to free up Pasifika players to play for their countries of origin, especially if they have not been selected for any New Zealand team after four or five years.
"We just like to have our Fijians play for Fiji," he said.
"At some stage, it would be great for [NZ Rugby] to say, 'he is not going to be an All Black so we will actually release him'. And that would be a really good for NZ Rugby to do for Fiji: to be able to release a couple of players that they have not picked for five years [or] probably will not pick for the All Blacks.
"It would be great for them to say they can play for Fiji and still honour their Super Rugby contracts because that's the thing the players are worried about if they come and play for us they might not get their Super Rugby contracts honoured."
Byrne said he was in the process of negotiating and discussing the issue with NZR, adding that he understood a lot of the players chose to go and play for the clubs and chase the All Blacks opportunity.
Photo:
Dom Thomas
However, NZ Rugby maintains players ultimately are the ones who can decide what national union pathway they intend to pursue.
A spokesperson told RNZ Pacific on Wednesday that, while NZ Rugby could not comment on individual players, the union was clear on what it can do, including offering contracts to up to three players who may not opt to play for New Zealand.
"New Zealand Rugby's five Super Rugby Pacific clubs have the ability to contract up to three 'non-New Zealand eligible players' who have already played internationally, including for Pacific Island nations Samoa, Tonga or Fiji or who have declared their intent to play internationally for a non-New Zealand national team at international level and therefore not make themselves eligible for New Zealand teams," the spokesperson said.
"Players contracted in the Bunnings Warehouse NPC (National Provincial Championship) also have the freedom to choose which country they represent within World Rugby's international eligibility regulations and as with Super Rugby Pacific provides for players previously internationally capped to continue to take part in the competition."
According to NZ Rugby's Pasifika Strategy, Pasifika players are very well represented in both professional and community rugby, with 36 percent of players contracted to the Black Ferns and Black Ferns Sevens and 38 percent of players contracted to the All Blacks and All Blacks Sevens identifying as Pasifika.
NZ Rugby said player contracts are discussed between the player, their agent and the union they are being contracted to.
"It is up to the individual players and their agents to negotiate their contracts," NZR said, responding to queries whether all contracts are the same for players.
"We do not discuss individual contract details, but players have the freedom to choose what national union pathway they wish to pursue throughout their careers and make contracting decisions accordingly."
Previously Pasifika heritage players were able to play for their countries eventhough they were contracted to Super Rugby teams, with the likes of Fijians such as Marika Vunibaka (Crusaders), Nemani Nadolo (Crusaders/Waratahs), Aisea Tuilevu (Highlanders) and Rupeni Caucau (Blues).
NZ Rugby said it was still doing the same with current or previously capped players playing in this year's competition.
"Ere Enari and Jordan Lay are both Samoan-capped players taking part in SRP 2025 for New Zealand Super clubs.
"Fetuli Paea, Sione Havili, James Lay are also recent examples. In addition to Pasifika, we also have Brad Shields capped by England and Jonny McNicol capped by Wales playing in 2025."
Both World Rugby and SANZAAR (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina Rugby), the body which oversees Super Rugby and The Rugby Championship competitions in rugby union, confirmed they do not have any say on contracts between players, unions and clubs.
"This is not really a matter for World Rugby. The release of players for international duty is clearly defined by Regulation 9. Any release outside of those parameters is negotiated between the union and the competition," World Rugby said in response to RNZ Pacific's query.
SANZAAR said they are a tournament management and administration organisation providing operations and services to its joint venture partners.
"We do not manage or have oversight of player eligibility," it said.
"These come under the auspices of the national unions who govern player movements and contacting is association with their major provincial unions or clubs."
NZ Rugby said it has been supportive of moves to assist Pasifika rugby, working with World Rugby and the island nations of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, as was seen in their support of the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika set-ups for Super Rugby Pacific.
'"New Zealand Rugby supported the change to World Rugby eligibility regulation 8 which took effect in 2022, allowing previously international capped players to transfer from one union to another, subject to demonstrating a close and credible link via birthright," the union stated.
"Specifically, a player can transfer their eligibility to a new country if they, or one of their parents or grandparents, were born there, provided there is a 36-month stand-down period and approval from the World Rugby Regulations Committee. There have been a number of examples of this since the regulation changed which NZR have welcomed.
"NZR was a strong supporter of the establishment of both Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua into Super Rugby Pacific with the purpose of establishing a professional high-performance pathway for the national teams of Samoa, Tonga and Fiji."
Fiji, Samoa and Tonga have all been working on securing their best players for upcoming internationals.
Byrne has named the Flying Fijians squad to prepare for Tests against the Wallabies and Scotland in July.
Manu Samoa have also named a squad to prepare for a one of Test against Scotland in Auckland next month plus the Pacific Nations Cup series in August.
Tonga is yet to name its squad but indications are they will miss a number of players committed to playing the National Provincial Championship competition over the next four months.