Todd Blackadder argues that the mid-World Cup exodus of elite All Blacks to Japan and Europe is no longer a problem to be solved — it's simply the new reality NZ Rugby needs to accommodate. He dismisses concerns about playing standards dropping in Japan, pointing to Savea, Mo'unga, Frizell and Retallick as players whose quality is self-sustaining regardless of competition level. His view is that those choosing to return are hungry and motivated, which makes them a net positive for the selection pool.
What's more relevant for Springbok fans is where he draws the line: Blackadder explicitly says NZ should not follow South Africa's model of unrestricted overseas eligibility. Instead, he floats something closer to the old Giteau Law — a caps threshold (around 20–30 Tests) before a player can leave and remain eligible. His concern is protecting domestic competition depth while stemming the talent bleed to northern hemisphere clubs who could flip players' international eligibility entirely. The contrast with the Springbok approach — which Erasmus used to draw on a global squad and win two World Cups — is the subtext worth reading.