Islamabad, 29 October, 2026 (Ghufran): New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has indicated it could ease restrictions preventing All Blacks players from playing overseas as part of efforts to revive the struggling Super Rugby Pacific competition. NZR chief executive Steve Lancaster said the competition needed greater ambition and bold thinking to attract fans, increase revenue and strengthen its commercial position. Under New Zealand’s long-standing policy, players must represent domestic professional teams in Super Rugby and the National Provincial Championship (NPC) to remain eligible for the All Blacks. However, Lancaster has opened the door to allowing international players to represent Australian Super Rugby teams as part of broader reforms. He said NZR was prepared to discuss player movement, a competition-wide salary cap and the centralisation of commercial assets across key markets with Rugby Australia, the Rugby Players Association and Super Rugby clubs. Rugby Australia welcomed the statement and expressed its willingness to work with NZR on the next phase of the competition’s development, including relaxing restrictions on player movement between teams. Super Rugby clubs in both New Zealand and Australia are facing financial difficulties and remain heavily dependent on funding from their national rugby unions. The competition will feature 10 teams next season after losing two teams in three years, with Auckland-based Moana Pasifika disbanded at the end of the 2026 season and the Melbourne Rebels folding in 2024. Australia’s declining performance has also raised concerns in New Zealand, as no Australian team has won the Super Rugby championship since the New South Wales Waratahs in 2014, while no Australian side reached the semi-finals this year. New Zealand officials fear that a lack of strong competition could eventually weaken the All Blacks’ competitiveness on the international stage. NZR Chief Rugby Officer Mike Collins said Super Rugby would become more independent of the governing body’s day-to-day management, allowing NZR to focus more on the NPC and the development of community rugby. NZR has also backed the 14-team NPC format, while proposing to consolidate the operations of five teams with Super Rugby franchises in their respective home cities. The changes are targeted for implementation in 2028, subject to a final board decision. The restructuring forms part of NZR’s cost-reduction programme, which aims to cut expenses by five per cent and deliver an annual financial improvement of NZ$20 million, equivalent to approximately $11.26 million, from 2028. Collins said the changes would reduce duplication and costs while simplifying rugby operations and player development pathways in major cities, creating a more integrated structure from community rugby to the All Blacks.