@reprobate said in WR U20 Championship 2026:
I always have a bit of a worry that centralising and 'youthanising' the development pathways means you are excluding guys who might turn out better, and they might be lost to the game.
I'll answer this part first: I don't think creating a national rep group means dismantling the entire development pathway. There would still be provincial academies, First XV rugby, SR development camps. If anything, I think a national U16 group would be a good tool for convincing some players that they are in the frame, especially those who might opt for league.
Would a late bloomer like Callum Harkin disappear with a centralized development pathway? I highly doubt it. As far as I can tell, he never made a single national age grade rep team and he's still stuck around. That said, talent identification can still be a whole lot better, but that's a different discussion.
Out of interest, would you be in favour of those ideas mate?
Well, that largely depends on the perspective. From an institutional perspective, professional sports is a performance machine where the wheels only spin faster and faster as time goes on. The idea of choice is largely illusory here: either you get on board or you get left behind. And I would find it strange if NZR is fine with not winning the tournament anymore, so I'd hope they, at least, take some kind of action.
Still, the two options above are largely a false dilemma, as I don't think NZR has the finances nor the desire for the first option. Because that would require either more SR teams or more SR games, and neither look particularly likely.
The second would be pretty achievable, though. And it would help with the kind of attacking rugby NZ Rugby wants to achieve, as that requires connection and understanding between the players. And there seems to be very little of that with the current crop.
