Alice Soper: Benefits to playing rugby overseas are more than in the pocket

Sam Cane is currently on sabbatical playing for Tokyo Sungoliath in Japan. Photo / Getty Images

During my playing career, I relocated to England for rugby. I wanted to prove to myself that I could be selected on my current form, not past reputation. I wanted to expose myself to a different style of play and be immersed in a new club culture. I wanted the chance to test myself against some of the best players from the world stage. My two-season jaunt helped establish what is now the top domestic women’s league in the world. The experience was worth every dollar I wasn’t paid.

It is perhaps more plain to see the raft of benefits on offer from overseas opportunities in the women’s game as we are not distracted by the same pay packet offered to our male counterparts. It is true you can now make a living as a woman from your rugby prowess in England, Japan, Spain and alike but you won’t be made rich. And yet, players continue to book their flights.

Not everything to be gained from playing overseas is related to pay cheques. On the individual level there is much you can develop from exposure to different competition. One only need look at the tutelage Liv McGoverne received in her time in England. The quintessentially Kiwi midfielder, all big hits and line breaks, rounded out her game by slipping into the 10 jersey under the watchful eye of coach, Susie Appleby. A former pivot herself, Appleby guided McGoverne to hold her own against current England first fives, taking their team all the way to the Premiership final.

McGoverne, who has been on the cusp of a Black Ferns call up for years now, gave up a dream of playing a home World Cup to head to England. She is now returning to Super Rugby Aupiki and the New Zealand pipeline this season with a whole new set of skills to deploy. Both her team and her Black Fern chances are better for this time away.

That’s on the individual level but the benefits are also there when we take a wider view. The competition McGoverne played in has become a beacon to aspiring athletes whose ambitions currently outpace their country’s offerings. This is seen in the men’s game too, where developing nations effectively outsource their player development. Their international stars regularly play in domestic competitions overseas.

The best competitions recognise this dual role they are playing. The PWR takes a break for the Women’s Six Nations window to remove any conflict between club and country. Men’s Super Rugby has a history of franchises such as the Sunwolves, the Jaguares and more recently Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua, paving the way for foreign nations’ ascension.

So we can understand that time spent overseas is good for women and those from developing nations but many are unable to see any benefit to the All Blacks. Here we are overcome with fear and arrogance, questioning what a player could possibly learn from time away as we believe ourselves the world’s best. But simultaneously terrified that this position is so tenuous, both in World Rankings and our fans’ hearts, that it could be knocked over by allowing player movement.

It’s already happening though. We have seen the introduction of mid-career exploration in the form of sabbaticals. Although almost exclusively the right of first fives and flankers, some players have managed to negotiate a break to play abroad without breaking the system.

Surely a more uniform extension to this policy is worth exploring as we contemplate our domestic offering.

I went to England and learnt a lot. About how to play the game and how to change it. I would not be the player or pundit I am now had I never ventured beyond our shores. There’s a whole wide world out there. One we need to embrace, both individually and collectively as a sport if we want to see how good we really can be.