Five wins, then the floor gave way
Five straight wins opened the All Blacks’ tour of South Africa. Four franchises beaten, then a first Test won at Ellis Park. Everything looked settled.
Then came three defeats to the Springboks and the series was gone. Murray Mexted watched from home, and when the former New Zealand No. 8 turned up on the DSPN Rugby podcast with Martin Devlin, he did not aim at the coaching staff. He aimed at Super Rugby.
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A 2020 departure that still hurts
“The gap between Super Rugby and a Test match against the Springboks in South Africa is significant,” Mexted said. He dates the slide to the moment the South African franchises walked away from the competition in 2020. “The standard has fallen a long way. It is too easy. Some players stand out in Super Rugby and then disappear completely at the next level.”
Coaches get caught out by the same illusion, he argues. “Everyone has learned it. Dave Rennie learned it. He has very good judgement, but he learned it too.” Mexted wants the format torn up. Half the teams in it, by his count, have no business being there.
Sabbaticals, yes. Exile, no.
Devlin raised the South African fix: send the best players to Europe’s strongest leagues. Mexted will not have it. “We need to keep the All Blacks close to home, in a high-level environment, otherwise there is no proper selection base. You can’t compare a player in New Zealand with one in England or Japan.”
Sabbatical clauses in the contracts of senior players are a different matter. Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane each spent six months at Leinster. Most pick Japan, then come back for the international window. “It is a great initiative,” said the 73-year-old, who sees the break as a way of keeping his Test players fresh.
None of which touches the core problem. “Our trip to South Africa brought it into sharp focus. The level we are playing at is not enough. You need a very sharp coach to say: this guy can do it in Super Rugby, but I know he won’t do it against the Springboks in South Africa.” Mexted has watched players come up short. He says he hates admitting it.
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