Former All Blacks winger John Kirwan is throwing a curveball of speculation into the mix, betting on Richie Mo’unga's appearance against the Springboks later this year despite eligibility hurdles. After his stint in Japan with Toshiba Brave Lupus, Mo’unga's return to New Zealand rugby is tangled in red tape; New Zealand Rugby's policy demands he plays domestic NPC rugby for Canterbury before stepping back into the international arena during the Nations Championship and the subsequent tour. However, Kirwan smells a loophole.
On the Rivals podcast, Kirwan, alongside former Springbok lock Victor Matfield, hinted at old tricks that might be played. “That’s going to happen. He’s going to play for his club and he will be in Africa, don’t even think about it,” Kirwan confidently asserted, suggesting that Mo’unga’s inclusion might be a done deal regardless of the official line.
"What would happen back in the old days is they would say: ‘JK, just pull a hammy and just fake it’ and Richie plays [for Canterbury] and he’s available the next day,”
Matfield weighed in with a comparison to a recent tactical maneuver by the Springboks during the 2023 World Cup, where an injury loophole similarly facilitated a strategic replacement. “How many players are coming over? There’s 45 so there will be injury,” he remarked, recalling the incident where flyhalf Handré Pollard was called up following hooker Malcolm Marx's injury.
“We saw it in the previous World Cup with Malcolm Marx getting injured and Handré Pollard coming in, so I think we can maybe see the same thing there,” Matfield added, highlighting the strategic depth teams often resort to under pressure.
The undercurrents of rugby's tactical plays off the field continue to stir as seasoned players and pundits like Kirwan and Matfield dissect the possibilities, pointing to a landscape where rules are navigated with as much strategy as the game played on the field. Whether Mo’unga will don the black jersey against the Springboks under such contentious circumstances remains a hot topic for debate and anticipation.
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Former All Blacks winger John Kirwan is throwing a curveball of speculation into the mix, betting on Richie Mo’unga's appearance against the Springboks later this year despite eligibility hurdles. After his stint in Japan with Toshiba Brave Lupus, Mo’unga's return to New Zealand rugby is tangled in red tape; New Zealand Rugby's policy demands he plays domestic NPC rugby for Canterbury before stepping back into the international arena during the Nations Championship and the subsequent tour. However, Kirwan smells a loophole.
On the Rivals podcast, Kirwan, alongside former Springbok lock Victor Matfield, hinted at old tricks that might be played. “That’s going to happen. He’s going to play for his club and he will be in Africa, don’t even think about it,” Kirwan confidently asserted, suggesting that Mo’unga’s inclusion might be a done deal regardless of the official line.
"What would happen back in the old days is they would say: ‘JK, just pull a hammy and just fake it’ and Richie plays [for Canterbury] and he’s available the next day,”
Matfield weighed in with a comparison to a recent tactical maneuver by the Springboks during the 2023 World Cup, where an injury loophole similarly facilitated a strategic replacement. “How many players are coming over? There’s 45 so there will be injury,” he remarked, recalling the incident where flyhalf Handré Pollard was called up following hooker Malcolm Marx's injury.
“We saw it in the previous World Cup with Malcolm Marx getting injured and Handré Pollard coming in, so I think we can maybe see the same thing there,” Matfield added, highlighting the strategic depth teams often resort to under pressure.
The undercurrents of rugby's tactical plays off the field continue to stir as seasoned players and pundits like Kirwan and Matfield dissect the possibilities, pointing to a landscape where rules are navigated with as much strategy as the game played on the field. Whether Mo’unga will don the black jersey against the Springboks under such contentious circumstances remains a hot topic for debate and anticipation.