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'Tsunami coming': NZ Rugby urged to act on player drain with privatisation push
Sport Nation • May 5th, 2026 2:35 pm
Prolific winger Fehi Fineanganofo bagged four tries for the Hurricanes against the Brumbies | Photo: John Davidson/Photosport
NZ Rugby needs to make urgent change if it's to temper the ever-increasing talent drain to rival sports and overseas clubs, says former NZ Rugby Players Association president and veteran agent Bruce Sharrock.
Having spent years at the coalface of the overseas player exodus, Sharrock warns unless NZR moves to privatise, the likes of Fehi Fineanganofo (23 years old) and Devan Flanders (26yo) will continue to be lost to the larger lure of the offshore pound, euro or yen.
Bruce Sharrock | Photo: NZTR
Both of the aforementioned Hurricanes are indicative of the influx of promising young talent choosing to take their skills elsewhere, a shift that is far from an anomaly.
Combined with the surging popularity of the likes of rugby league and basketball, and it's a dangerous formula for the future, Sharrock notes.
Devan Flanders joins the offshore exodus | Scotty & Izzy
"I do feel it is a growing trend, I really do," Sharrock told Sport Nation Mornings.
"I think the other big threat that we're seeing to our player base is the game of rugby league and basketball, especially for our tall timber. Their numbers are growing hugely in terms of participation.
"We all know the threat that rugby league is to the game with its superior product, superior pathways, investment, all of it. They're doing a fantastic job.
"You have the conversations I have with current All Blacks and Super Rugby players, they're all watching rugby league, and I think we're naive to think that there isn't a real tsunami coming down the pipe here."
Cory Jane on the want to keep Fehi Fineanganofo in New Zealand | Scotty & Izzy
With so many other options now on the table, Sharrock says the prospect of pulling on a black jersey doesn't carry the weight it once did.
That makes the dollar even more powerful, and the Super Rugby model isn't futureproofed to compete on that basis, he adds.
"The model needs to shift, if I'm being blunt.
"I think that we've, for too long, operated in an environment where any young man who could pass and catch a footy from the age of five wants to be an All Black and would hang around until at 30 to see if they could do it. That has changed and it's changed for a decade or more.
"I think it's time to have the conversation about truly privatising the franchises and ensuring that those people start to back the individuals that they think are going to be quality players because you're now in competition, genuine competition from other codes, particularly rugby league, but also the likes of basketball."
Listen to the full interview below:
