4 publishers · first seen Thu, 29 Oct 2026 02:11 UTC · updated Thu, 29 Oct 2026 18:01 UTC
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has indicated it may relax its policy requiring All Blacks players to play domestically, potentially allowing them to represent Australian Super Rugby teams, as part of efforts to revive the struggling Super Rugby Pacific competition. NZR chief Steve Lancaster said the organization is open to discussions on player movement, a competition-wide salary cap, and centralizing commercial assets with Rugby Australia and other stakeholders. The competition will field 10 teams next season after the disbanding of Auckland-based Moana Pasifika at the end of the 2026 season and the earlier folding of the Melbourne Rebels in 2024.
NZR also announced plans to reduce costs by 5 per cent and achieve a NZ$20 million annual improvement from 2028 by consolidating operations of five National Provincial Championship (NPC) teams with Super Rugby sides in their home cities. The move aims to streamline player pathways and rugby operations from community rugby to the All Blacks.
Content auto-generated. May contain inaccuracies.