All Blacks coach Ian Foster is open to playing Australia’s rugby league world champion Kangaroos in a 14-a-side hybrid game in December, but his priority remains getting as many Test matches as possible for New Zealand this year.
The All Blacks and Kangaroos are among the most successful international teams in any sport, dominating their respective codes for much of the past three decades.
With sport suffering severe financial losses from the coronavirus, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) have said they are interested in the cross-code concept.
“We’re not dismissing anything,” Foster said in an interview posted on the All Blacks website.
(Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
“Our first priority is playing All Blacks Tests so we’re waiting on what happens with Australia, South Africa and Argentina in particular.
“I’ve had a couple of talks with (Kangaroos coach) Mal Meninga about what a game would look like so there’s a lot of work to be done in that space. It’s a proposal on the table at the moment.”
Foster said he thought that even if the match came off, it would not settle the question of which of the teams was the greatest.
“It’s one of those debates that will go on in New Zealand and Aussie pubs for a long time,” he added.
“But the reality is even if we played, we’d probably never know because there’d be a debate about the rules and who it favoured.”
In another money-spinning initiative, NZR have revived the once annual North Island versus South Island fixture this year and Foster revealed the criteria under which the players would be selected for each team.
“We think the best legacy thing for us to do is to pick players on the first province they played for,” he said.
“Because the choice they made when they played first class rugby for that province was probably the start of their move into the professional game.”
jeznez
Roar Guru
Good comment. I’m sure I’d watch it out of fascination but really do find the whole concept pointless. As much as they’d bill it as deciding bragging rights between the codes it really wont tell us anything.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
I suppose Taumalolo, Paulo and Papali would be the closest body wise to being able to stick their heads in the front row. Neck length alone would be a deciding factor. Taumalolo wouldn’t be eligible anyway. The hybrid game would surely be 10 man scrums. With 14 a side, there’s no place for one breakaway to unbalance. This certainly couldn’t happen if a regular union scrum was the norm and no NRL coach would allow it if it were the case. Scrums are dangerous enough as it is. The break down rucks, line outs and mauls could be taught but I’d suspect a hybrid approach to those also.
Lux Interior
Roar Rookie
Exactly. Loig. It ain't rocket science.
Diesel 2.0
Roar Rookie
lol, same. :laughing:
jeznez
Roar Guru
Papalii looks like he’d be an amazing Union hooker. Taumalolo would be another back rower, he’d be an absolute top flight 8. Extraordinary player. Slightly taller, lighter and faster player in the style of Billy Vunipola. Junior Paulo was the one bloke I thought might play prop, don’t watch enough league to think who else these days.
Pickett
Roar Rookie
The only 2 NRL players with union Prop bodies are Taumololo and Papalli. But they would need at least 6 months intense union scrum training just to avoid a broken neck, much less scrum skills. But as an aside, imagine how good these 2 blokes would be in union if they could scrum.
Kem Burns
Guest
How are you going with finding another x2 100+ metre tries in 1 game at Twickenham? Anybody? Hello?
Jim Renthule
Guest
Say as opposed to union players like Mark Ella, Jonah Lomu and Tana Umaga who all played rugby league when young.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Lol, I’m living in the now. South Africa and New Zealand ranked 1 and 2. You’re right, England can decimate tier 2 nations like Fiji and Argentina. England can also lose to Wales and France. What a powerhouse. I’m sure the Kiwis are absolutely terrified at having to play England again.
The Set Peace
Roar Rookie
Stop living in the past mate, the All Blacks would be decimated by England and you know it, we put 40 on the Wallabies, Argentina and Fiji can’t touch us, the only one’s we struggle against are South Africa who are a special side atm, full of players forged on Northern Hemisphere fields.
jeznez
Roar Guru
The scrum has changed out of sight with the pre-bind brought in back in 2013. Collapses have dropped enormously since those laws came in. You still get the odd game where a team starts collapsing, particularly in the dying minutes but in general they are still a great contest. That said NRL just doesn't recruit many players that could pack scrums safely, the League big men are generally 6's or 8's in a Union team not 1's or 3's. I note that my question still isn't being answered as to who would be picked. If the answer is someone like Andrew Fifita then I've got a pretty quick response that the guy was an 8 when he played Union (equivalent of a League 13)
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Lol, and yet England has beaten New Zealand once in 8 years, the last four world cups have been win by Southern Hemisphere teams and in the last 16 years a NH team has been number one for a total of about 3 weeks? Yeah mate. Looks like England are untouchable :laughing:
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Tonga isn’t the number one ranked league team I don’t believe - they just beat Australia. Same situation as England/New Zealand.
jeznez
Roar Guru
I would have thought you have to play two separate games on two separate weekends if you are going to have a go at each other's laws. For me it's pointless if the set piece has to be depowered to enable the Union game to happen.
Paulo
Roar Rookie
A more recent example is McGregor/Mayweather. It was a joke and made OBSCENE amounts of money. The sports already have their respective fans, this hybrid game isn’t designed for us, it’s for Joe Average who doesn’t know a ruck from a play-the-ball. They don’t care about powered or depowered scrums, or the height of some of the swinging arms. They want a spectacle, they want an Eagle vs Shark contest.
Paulo
Roar Rookie
I’m surprised he didn’t just scream, ‘QUEENSLANDER!’, in your face, before walking away.
The Set Peace
Roar Rookie
Very well said, NZ can’t even touch England atm. Southern Hemisphere Rugby is going down the toilet. Only good team is SA and that’s cause so many of their players are up here.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
How long has it been since Union Scrums were really what they are meant to be about anyway? For the last decade the dark arts of scrummaging have been all about winning the first inch of the battle before driving your opponents head into the dirt to earn a penalty. Rugby union forwards aren’t about winning the possession the old fashioned way anymore.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
I think Sivo is faster the Vuni. I heard someone on Fox Sports mention young Xavier Coates is the quickest in the NrL now.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
I think this will be a sell-out no matter where it’s played and will probably be watched by more than an origin game.