Ardie Savea of the All Blacks celebrates scoring a try during The Rugby Championship match between the South Africa Springboks and New Zealand All Blacks. Photo / Getty Images.
Ardie Savea of the All Blacks celebrates scoring a try during The Rugby Championship match between the South Africa Springboks and New Zealand All Blacks. Photo / Getty Images.
Peel back the layers and there is plenty to unpack in Ardie Savea's freshly minted four-year contract with New Zealand Rugby.
The first is Savea's international eligibility - the subject of widespread speculation in the wake of the rule change that benefits the Pacific Island nations - can be putto bed for the foreseeable future.
Prior to the World Rugby vote that now allows players with dual heritage to switch test allegiance following a three-year stand down, Savea spoke openly about his heart and soul connection to Samoa, and the hope of one day representing that proud linage.
Having signed on with NZ Rugby through to 2025, which stipulates he will be available for the All Blacks in that time, the earliest Savea could play for Samoa is 2028, one year after the World Cup, when he will be 35-years-old.
Eventually pursuing that route is far from impossible but given Savea's combative approach, it is a long way off.
For all the positive vibes - and genuine boost many players will immediately provide the Island nations - generated by the eligibility rule change, the prospect of an influential, front-line All Black such as Savea switching to Samoa are slim.
The reality is it would involve walking away from a significant chunk of his new deal that is understood to be in the $1 million per-season vicinity the upper echelon of All Blacks now command at home.
Until that earning disparity is addressed the vast majority of players with dual New Zealand and Pacific Island heritage will continue to view the All Blacks as the best means to provide for their families and futures.
Ardie Savea of All Blacks looks on during the Autumn Nations Series match between Italy and All Blacks at Olimpico Stadium. Photo / Getty Images.
Savea has, however, left wriggle room to switch Super Rugby teams and satisfy the urge to connect with his Samoan culture by potentially playing for Moana Pasifika.
With the World Cup on the horizon the 2023 season will be a major juncture in numerous New Zealand rugby players' careers.
With his next Hurricanes contract ending that season, Savea will have many options on the table. His new deal permits a six-month sabbatical to cash in offshore, or to take a break from the game, in 2024. He could then feasibly return to play for Moana Pasifika in the final year of his contract, if not before.
While not evident in their inaugural squad the Herald understands there is a mechanic included in the memorandum of understanding that allows NZ Rugby to second any player under contract to Moana Pasifika, while retaining their availability for the All Blacks.
Savea could, therefore, play for Moana Pasifika in 2024 or 2025 and represent the All Blacks, provided his fitness and form demands selection by that stage.
The Hurricanes will be desperate to retain Savea, their captain this season, beyond 2023 but it seems inevitable he will seek a fresh challenge.
Negotiating such flexibility into the backend of his contract is a smart play. It opens the door to different rugby and cultural experiences that could reinvigorate the latter stages of Savea's career at a stage when continuing down the same well-worn path can become stale.
The other notable element of Savea's deal is he largely stitched it together himself - the first, certainly at the top end of his field, to do so in a New Zealand setting.
Savea has long adopted a different outlook to the professional player space. He is commercially driven; determined to carve his own niche, identity, brand that will provide him with a platform to leverage long after he hangs up the boots.
Whether others have the appetite to cut out the middle man is debatable, though. Savea's new deal, having negotiated the best of all worlds, will give others pause to ponder their options, but a revolution of players ditching their agents is highly unlikely.
Negotiating contracts is no straightforward process. Long term agents possess a level of intellectual property that allows them to almost instantly know market values, while they also have the advantage of established networks with offshore clubs in particular.
Ardie Savea of New Zealand during the Autumn Nations Series match between Ireland and New Zealand at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo / Getty Images.
Behind the scenes Savea clearly worked hard to gain an understanding of his worth, and push for a salary with all the trimmings that reflects his global standing. But not all players would be comfortable asking counterparts their respective salaries to gauge where they fit on the spectrum.
The delay in completing Savea's deal also underlines his all-consuming commitments that this year involved captaining the All Blacks during their Rugby Championship campaign, and playing a leading role on the northern tour.
Only when the test season finished was there enough time to finalise the finer details of his new contract.
Such were his standout contributions from openside and No 8, Savea's season may well conclude with recognition as All Blacks player of the year ahead of Jordie Barrett, Will Jordan and Rieko Ioane.
Off the field and on, Savea continues to chart his own path and prove what is possible from humble roots. He will never be content with standing still or confined by industry norms.
Locking Savea in long term is a great piece of business for NZ Rugby, too. A timely, expensive gift, just in time for Christmas, after another turbulent year for the game.
