Rob Nichol: NZ Rugby Players Association CEO on Scott Robertson's u-turn on selection stances

After previously voicing a strong opposition to NZ Rugby's eligibility rules for the All Blacks, coach Scott Robertson has made a u-turn.

Robertson made an appearance on the Rugby Direct podcast and revealed he'd changed his mind after having a year to think about it.

Currently, players can not be selected to play for the All Blacks if they're playing off shore. 

NZ Rugby Players Association CEO Rob Nichol says there's been a lot of discussion about Razor's stance.

"To be honest...they've been kind of on the same page and they've just come out, I think to reaffirm the fact that they are, and that we all are."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now staying with rugby though less morbids. We're going to
speak to the Rugby Players Union. This is the New
Zealand Rugby Players Association, Rob Nichols, the CEO there. Because
Raser Scott Robertson, the coach of the All Blacks, he's
done a bit of a u turn this on the
decision by n z are currently players cannot be selected

(00:21):
to play for the All Blacks if they are playing
off shore. Now Robertson didn't agree with that, Now he
does agree with that. What's up with that? Rob Nichols Here?

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Hi, Rob, Good afternoon, Ryan. What are reason this is about? Oh?

Speaker 3 (00:37):
Look, I think it's there's been a lot of conjecture
and discussion around where Raser sat on this and where
New Zealand Rugby were at. To be honest, I being
part of the conversations all the day along and they've
kind of been on the same page and they're just
coming out I think to reaffirm the.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
Fact that they are and that where you all are.

Speaker 3 (00:53):
The starting point, as you said, is that you have
to be playing in New Zealand if you want to
be eligible for teams in black. But we have effectively
a regulation or a guideline around that that can say, well,
in exceptional circumstances, we can make exceptions and you've seen
us do that over the years, display a bit of
flexibility around the comments and things like that. But the

(01:14):
underlying ethos of all of that was, you know, it
was conveyed to players that are earned the right to serve.
Time in the black Jersey delivered great value and they
were still really committed to that black jersey and wanting
to come back and be a.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
Part of it. So you know, we got we've got
a bit of flexibility there.

Speaker 3 (01:30):
But basically it's everyone just saying we're not changing the
Jordi Barrett.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
You mean, like Jordi Barrett over in Island. That's flexibility exactly.
But it's not that flexible.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
Isn't it.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
I mean you can't just up and play and then
come back and flit in between like the South Africans.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
No, it's absolutely not that, and we don't want that.

Speaker 3 (01:48):
Why not, Well, I think to answer the question, I
think you kind of go back to the purpose of
rugby in New Zealand and if you say, well, it's
there to play its role within sport to personally develop people,
character a sense of community, social cohesion, connection, the sense
of belonging.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
That you get out of sport, and rugby has played.

Speaker 3 (02:07):
A really really strong role with the New Zealand's evolution
over a long long period of time. And respect of that,
I think rugby club's relationships, marriages, all that kind of stuff,
and then you prove through to those that are good
enough represent us on the global stage and fill us
with pride and inspiration. And to a certain extent, when
you look at New Zealand globally and anyone who travels overseas,
rugby kind of underpins our identity a little bit.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
It's something we should be pretty proud.

Speaker 1 (02:31):
Cody understand all that. But for the players, it's about
the money, isn't it. They're not going to be able
to get anose coin.

Speaker 3 (02:36):
No, you're missing the point and you're missing that it's
about more than just how I mean, clearly it's their profession.
But the point I'm making is that as custodians the
game in this country, we don't want to see that
rugby lose its place with the New Zealand's identity. We
want the community game to flourish, and to do that
you need to provide your inspirational pathway to do that.

(02:57):
We need to keep professional rugby professional in New Zealand.
And if you allow players to leave at fifteen, sixteen,
seventeen years of age play their rugby overseas in these
competitions that do have more money and will have the
ability to attract players away and still represent the all backs,
the pathway, the professional pathway for the game of this
country will get lost. You lose that, you lose the

(03:19):
ability to continue to have rugby.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
Yeah, you see where I'm going with this.

Speaker 1 (03:23):
I get where you're going, But I think you have
to concede that that does come at a financial cost
to those players who would today like to upsticks, go
play overseas and come back.

Speaker 2 (03:31):
You know what I mean.

Speaker 1 (03:32):
There is an opportunity cost to what you're talking about.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
You're sacrificing an.

Speaker 1 (03:36):
Individual of sacrificing for the greater good, that's what you're saying.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
Yeah, no, it's not a sacrifice.

Speaker 3 (03:42):
I mean like professional support is about choices, right, You
choose to slay professional sport. You don't annowling, which you
don't sacrifice going to the part of you choose not
to because you want something else more and I think
that's a really important ethos. There's something about the way
in which New Zealand rugbyas maintain this position of a
long period of time of being the best, you know,

(04:02):
and it comes down a lot to the coaching, to
the environments where there's just this desire to be the best.
And it starts when the kids are really young and
they're coming through the grades. You know, when they pull
on that beak jersey, they want to be the best.
And to be the best, you want to compete with
the best and be coached by the best. And so
the ability for us to keep players in this country,
keep the high performance pathways, keep them wanting to perform

(04:24):
for the country and stay connected. Players that want to
be the best and succeed they want to be a
part of that. And that's so you might say, well,
you're setting sacrificing money, but actually, what I'm getting in return,
I'm getting to be the best.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
I know.

Speaker 3 (04:38):
I'm in the right place to be the best I possibly.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
Can get a run longer term.

Speaker 1 (04:41):
That's a bit understand. Thank you very much for explaining.
Appreciate your time. Rob Nickel, who's the TV executive at
Chick of executive rather at the Rugby Players Association.

Speaker 3 (04:49):
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Speaker 2 (04:53):
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