Hamish McLennan’s Super Rugby draft proposal might not have gathered the momentum he wanted, but two current All Blacks stars believe the concept should be strongly considered.
Days after Crusaders and Test fullback Will Jordan said he thought opening up All Blacks eligibility to anyone who played across the entire Super Rugby competition would strengthen fan engagement and competitiveness, his New Zealand teammate Anton Lienert-Brown said the tournament should take a leaf out of the NBA’s playbook.
“If you look at other sports and what they are doing and at the end of the day, we’re entertainment, we’re no different to someone wanting to go to the movies. So, you’ve got to make it a good movie,” Lienert-Brown, the long-time Chiefs and All Blacks star, told RNZ.
“We’ve got to make Super Rugby fun and interactive for the fans.
“You want to see player movement. You just look at what’s happened in the NBA, there’s been some massive trades over that trade period. No matter what those trades are, it’s good for the NBA because everyone around the world’s talking about it.
“In entertainment you need spectators and fans being engaged and constantly talking about it and I think that’s what a draft does.”
Jordan, also speaking with RNZ, agreed: “I think the stuff around the draft, it obviously creates a huge amount of excitement and equity across the competition right? You see it in American sports a lot and it does add a lot of excitement.”
Chiefs star Anton Lienert-Brown says a Super Rugby draft would add to the entertainment on and off the field in the competition. (Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)
The pair’s comments came on the heels of one of the biggest trade deals in the NBA, which, amongst others, saw Luka Doncic leave the Mavericks and join the Lakers for Anthony Davis.
The deal rocked the NBA and made global news.
While Super Rugby would never make the same shockwaves compared to one of the richest competitions in the world, McLennan, who was ousted as Rugby Australia chair in late 2023, believed a draft in Super Rugby would be a concept broadcasters would value.
“Imagine us collectively creating a draft that we’d promote before the Super Rugby season starts – that would drive incredible interest,” McLennan said in 2023.
“And then if you look at the [2023] finals, well we only have one team into the semis, but you’ll have incredible viewership on both sides of the Tasman if you’ve got players [from both countries] playing in respective teams. I just think that will do more for improving the value of our collective media rights than anyone thinks.”
New Super Rugby CEO Jack Mesley last year said he was open to the concept, but added that it would need bilateral support from Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby.
“When you’re talking about trade windows and drafts, they’re complex matters, but there’s also so many ways in which you could do it,” Mesley said following last year’s Super Rugby competition during a round-table discussion at RA.
“I mean, which players are we talking about? I think there is an opportunity.
“Anything player eligibility-wise that relates to the national team is clearly a bigger matter out of my hands.
“I would love to see how we can get more attention at this time of year about players that are playing in club rugby or NPC rugby, then playing up in the Super. Now, I don’t know how you do that. That could just be our storytelling. It could be more formal things like windows and live drafts. I don’t know.”
Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Measley speaks during the 2025 Super Rugby Season Launch at Little Bay Beach on February 05, 2025. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Although the current Rugby Australia administration and NZR Player Association chief executive, Rob Nichol, have been receptive to the idea, NZR chief executive Mark Robinson has hitherto barred national selection for players if they’re not contracted domestically.
The unwavering policy has been maintained to ensure the All Blacks brand and the Super Rugby Pacific competitions remain as strong as possible.
“There’s a few challenges in there around logistics of the Players Association and guys getting shipped off and all that. So I think there’s a bit of work that would have to go into it. I’m not sure it’s something that would necessarily come in, but you never know,” Jordan said.
Jordan’s comments came a week after Beauden Barrett, the two-time World Rugby player of the year and senior All Blacks star, told reporters in Sydney that he thought anyone playing in Super Rugby should be eligible to play for New Zealand.
“I’d like to think that in Super Rugby in however many years’ time, whatever countries are involved in Super Rugby, at a national level they can be eligible to represent their country,” he said.
The 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season gets underway on Friday, 14th February. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Jordan, 26, who is back for the Crusaders after missing the 2024 season, agreed.
“In terms of the eligibility, it’s obviously been a hot topic of conversation over the last few months. I could see it getting to a point where maybe you could play for any Super Rugby team and still be eligible for the All Blacks. It would create diversity across the comp having a few Kiwis playing over in Aussie or vice versa,” he said.
“I don’t know how far away that would be or if that’s something that’s realistic. I know New Zealand rugby have got a pretty strict policy at the moment and that’s something that’s held them in good stead over the last 25 years as the game’s gone professional. There’s a bit of water to go under the bridge there, but you’ve got to look at ways to keep the game exciting at a franchise level and keep it in the news and being talked about.”
