Wallabies coach welcomes Kerr-Barlow move

Melissa Woods
AAP
August 25, 2022 3:29PM


The bold plan by former All Black Tawera Kerr-Barlow to switch allegiance to the Wallabies has been welcomed by Australian coach Dave Rennie.

Currently based in France, the 32-year-old halfback stated overnight he wanted to play for his birth country.

Kerr-Barlow was born in Melbourne and grew up in Darwin with his mother Gail a halfback for the Wallaroos in the mid 90s.

He moved to Hamilton in New Zealand when he was 13 and after resisting overtures from Australian rugby he went on to play 29 Tests for the All Blacks, helping them to lift the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

His former Chiefs coach Rennie said on Thursday that Kerr-Barlow had recently reached out about playing for the Wallabies.

World Rugby's eligibility laws have been eased to allow players to make an international switch after 36 months of inactivity although they must have been born in or have ancestry in the transfer country.

"I had a conversation with him when he rang up just to say that if we got under any pressure, if there are injuries ... he's born in Australia, a former All Black, but the change of rules makes him eligible," Rennie said on Thursday.

Under national selection requirements Kerr-Barlow would need to commit to an Australian Super Rugby side to be available but Rennie said it was a positive he wanted to don the gold jersey.

"He's a great man, a hell of a player and you've got a guy who's a former All Black putting his hand up to play for Wallabies, that's a good sign," Rennie said.

While the move is flattering, Rennie felt the Wallabies were well-covered at nine with Nic White, Tate McDermott, Jake Gordon part of the current squad.

"We'll be loyal to the guys we've got, it's probably our strongest position.

"We got three excellent nines here and Ryan Lonergan behind that, but as we've seen this year things can change quickly so I will certainly keep in contact with Tawera.

"It's a hell of a resource in behind what we've already got."

Rennie was asked about whether there would be any resistance from World Rugby, with the rule change intended for emerging nations.

Ex-Wallabies star Israel Folau has already taken advantage, now playing for Tonga.

"That's open to debate but once you open the floodgates it's available for everyone I'd say," Rennie said.

All Blacks coach Ian Foster wasn't comfortable with the ground-breaking move with Kerr- Barlow becoming the first player to switch between two tier-one nations.

"It's just a consequence of World Rugby's eligibility laws.

"It kind of doesn't feel right to me, but rules are rules and he's entitled," Foster said.


https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/ru...move-c-8005730

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Originally Posted by The InnFORCEr

Rennie felt the Wallabies were well-covered at nine with Nic White, Tate McDermott, Jake Gordon part of the current squad.

"We'll be loyal to the guys we've got, it's probably our strongest position.

"We got three excellent nines here and Ryan Lonergan behind that, but as we've seen this year things can change quickly so I will certainly keep in contact with Tawera.

In any event he is not currently qualified for Australia, even though he seems to think different. He could change that by reaching out to, say Matt Hodgson, in an effort to play SR in 2023. If he'd really wanted to represent his birth nation he could have taken an offer from the WA outfit over a decade back. But instead he successfully chased the AB dream and had an outstanding career. The rest, as they say, is history.

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FIXED.

Bloke is born and raised as a child in Australia and plays for New Zealand, even though his mother was an Australian international player? Now deigns the Wallabies worthy as a second choice, what if the All Blacks picked him now if returned from France? Would he play for Australia then?

Pass

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Originally Posted by chibi

Bloke is born and raised as a child in Australia and plays for New Zealand, even though his mother was an Australian international player? Now deigns the Wallabies worthy as a second choice, what if the All Blacks picked him now if returned from France? Would he play for Australia then?

Pass

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Wasn’t he offered a contact or was it even to play for the Force and he refused on grounds of wanting to play for the Darkness?

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Originally Posted by SNOB

Wasn’t he offered a contact or was it even to play for the Force and he refused on grounds of wanting to play for the Darkness?

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Wouldn't surprise me.

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Originally Posted by chibi

Wouldn't surprise me.

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The Force did try to recruit him IIRC. He opted to give up a (probably) easier route to international selection because he'd always wanted to be an AB, nothing wrong in that. And that is not so unusual - a couple of my WA born grand kids go for the AB's too. Kids often align with their parents like that.
Like I said above; it's a moot point anyway. Unless he signs on for SR 2023, he's ineligible.

It's the situation we find ourselves in with rugby shrinking down into a niche sport and having an ordinary national team. Same position soccer was in in the 70s, 80s and early 90s. The game is being kept alive in large part by migrants from countries where the game is played. Whereas Australian soccer lost supporter allegiances and players to Croatia, Serbia, Italy and England; now it's rugby in a similar situation. Same thing happening to rugby league in New Zealand.