Rugby Australia boss Phil Waugh says a potential overhaul of Super Rugby to create an NRL-style, open borders competition would be 'enormous' and is keen to fast-track talks with New Zealand Rugby (NZR), after NZR announced it was open to discussing a change to its eligibility policy to allow Kiwi stars to play for Super Rugby clubs in Australia while still being able to play for the All Blacks.
NZR chief executive Steve Lancaster confirmed the option was on the table as part of a broader effort to be 'really ambitious and bold' about the competition's future. NZR currently bars overseas-based players from All Blacks selection, but under a possible open-borders shift both national unions would view playing for any club in Super Rugby as playing at home.
Waugh said on Friday that the relationship with NZR was as strong as it had ever been and that there was a shared understanding that bold thinking is required to revive the loss-making Super Rugby. 'Just the mentality of having a one-competition narrative rather than what has been historically, which is five New Zealand teams, a Fijian team, four Australian teams, and everyone talking about an Australian team versus a New Zealand team,' he said. 'And if we can elevate ourselves above that and focus optimising it as one competition, that is really powerful. Ultimately, you're looking at it as you've got 10 clubs in the competition, and you've got an open market.'
Given no Australian side has won Super Rugby since 2014 or even reached the grand final, an open-borders shift could help Australian teams more, but Waugh said safeguards would be needed to ensure opportunities for young homegrown talent were not lost. 'You need to ensure that the opportunity for Australian players is there to come through the system, you'd definitely need to ensure the balance is right,' he said.
Lancaster said All Blacks coach Dave Rennie would be among those to consider the pros and cons of the idea. Waugh said he hoped to 'move as quickly as possible' on pushing through the change, accelerating conversations now that there was a sort of certainty around the direction of travel.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- An open-borders Super Rugby could make the competition more competitive and attractive to investors, potentially reversing financial losses for both unions.
- Australian fans could see All Blacks stars playing for local clubs, increasing interest and rivalry in a competition that has been dominated by New Zealand teams for over a decade.
- The change would require balancing cross-border player movement with protecting pathways for homegrown talent in both countries.
Background
Super Rugby has been a trans-Tasman competition involving teams from Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. No Australian side has won it since 2014, and the competition has faced financial challenges, prompting NZR to consider more radical reforms. NZR currently does not select overseas-based players for the All Blacks, while Australia relaxed its policy in 2015 to allow three offshore players per series.
Key Perspectives
Phil Waugh (Rugby Australia CEO): Says an open-borders competition would be 'enormous,' creating a one-competition narrative and adding spice and interest, leading to a more successful product. He wants to accelerate talks but insists on safeguards for young talent.
Steve Lancaster (NZR chief executive): Says open borders are 'on the table' as part of ambitious and bold thinking for the future of Super Rugby, with a need to consider pros and cons.
What to Watch
- Whether NZR formally revises its All Blacks eligibility policy and how quickly talks advance.
- The impact on Super Rugby’s financial performance and investor interest if open borders are adopted.
- How the balance between player movement and homegrown development is managed in any final framework.
Checked
11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedWaugh is open to an overhaul that would let All Blacks play for Australian Super Rugby clubs.WA Today - Latest News: “Rugby Australia boss Phil Waugh says a potential overhaul of Super Rugby to create an NRL-style, open borders competition would be “enormous””
- SupportedWaugh says the overhaul could create an open-borders competition with New Zealand.WA Today - Latest News: “Rugby Australia boss Phil Waugh says a potential overhaul of Super Rugby to create an NRL-style, open borders competition”
- SupportedNZR is open to discussing an eligibility-policy change that would let Kiwi stars play for Australian Super Rugby clubs and remain eligible for the All Blacks.WA Today - Latest News: “New Zealand Rugby announced on Thursday it was open to discuss a change of its eligibility policy to allow Kiwi stars to play for Super Rugby clubs in Australia, while still being able to play for the All Blacks.”
- SupportedLancaster said the option was on the table as part of NZR’s ambition to be bold about Super Rugby’s future.WA Today - Latest News: ““It’s on the table, as are a whole raft of things,” NZR chief executive Steve Lancaster said. “One of the things that we’ve talked about internally and with Rugby Australia is that as we look at the future of Super Rugby, we want to be really ambitious and bold about the competition.””
- SupportedUnder a possible open-borders shift, both national unions would treat playing for any Super Rugby club as playing at home.WA Today - Latest News: “but under a possible shift to “open borders”, both national unions would view playing for any club in Super Rugby as playing at home.”
- SupportedWaugh said, “Just the mentality of having a one-competition narrative rather than what has been historically, which is five New Zealand teams, a Fijian team, four Australian teams, and everyone talking about an Australian team versus a New Zealand team”.WA Today - Latest News: ““Just the mentality of having a one-competition narrative rather than what has been historically, which is five New Zealand teams, a Fijian team, four Australian teams, and everyone talking about an Australian team versus a New Zealand team.”
- SupportedWaugh said, “And if we can elevate ourselves above that and focus optimising it as one competition, that is really powerful. Ultimately, you're looking at it as you've got 10 clubs in the competition, and you've got an open market.”WA Today - Latest News: ““And if we can elevate ourselves above that and focus optimising it as one competition, that is really powerful. Ultimately, you’re looking at it as you’ve got 10 clubs in the competition, and you’ve got an open market.””
- SupportedNo Australian side has won Super Rugby since 2014 or reached the grand final since then.WA Today - Latest News: “Given no Australian side has won Super Rugby since 2014, or even had reached the grand final, an “open borders” shift stands to help the Aussie teams more than the other way around.”
- SupportedWaugh said safeguards would be needed to preserve opportunities for young Australian players.WA Today - Latest News: “Waugh said there would need to be safeguards about ensuring such a shift didn’t come at the cost of opportunities for young homegrown talent.”
- SupportedLancaster said All Blacks coach Dave Rennie would be among those considering the idea’s pros and cons.WA Today - Latest News: “Lancaster said Rennie would be one of the Kiwi contingent to consider the “pros and cons””
- SupportedWaugh said he hoped to move quickly on the change and accelerate talks now there was a degree of certainty about the direction.WA Today - Latest News: “Waugh said he hoped to “move as quickly as possible” on pushing through the change. “We’ve been working with New Zealand Rugby closely across our executive teams for some time, just around what this could look like,” he said. “I’d much prefer, now that we are in a sort of position of certainty around the direction of travel, that we accelerate those conversations to get to an outcome.””