Wallabies coach Dave Rennie says it would take a run of injuries for ex-All Blacks halfback Tawera Kerr-Barlow to make a groundbreaking Test switch to Australia.
Kerr-Barlow hit the headlines this week when he revealed his interest in playing for the Wallabies under his former Chiefs mentor.
The 32-year-old was a member of New Zealand’s Rugby World Cup winning squad in 2015 and now plays his club rugby in France with La Rochelle.
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Kerr-Barlow was born in Melbourne and spent his childhood in Darwin before moving to Hamilton as a 13-year-old.
His mother played rugby for Australia and Rennie confirmed talks had taken place after World Rugby’s rule changes made a trans-Tasman switch possible.
“Tawera’s making a big chunk of change over at La Rochelle, that’s where his future lies,” Rennie told reporters ahead of Saturday’s Rugby Championship with South Africa.
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“I had a conversation with him maybe four, five, six months ago, where he rung up just to say that if we ever got under any pressure, if there were injuries.
“Obviously he’s born in Australia, he’s a former All Black, but with the change of rules makes him eligible and he’s a helluva player.
“At the moment we’ll be loyal to the guys we’ve got, it’s probably our strongest position to be fair, we’ve got three excellent nines here (Nic White, Tate McDermott and Jake Gordon) and Ryan Lonergan in behind that.
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“But as we’ve seen this year things can change quickly, so we’ll certainly keep in contact with Tawera. It’s a helluva resource in behind what we’ve already got.”
As it stands Rennie can pick three overseas-based players.
Marika Koroibete, Rory Arnold and Bernard Foley are the trio in the current squad following season ending injuries to Quade Cooper and Samu Kerevi.
“I haven’t thought too hard about it, but I know he’s a great man,” Rennie said of Kerr-Barlow, who helped him with two Super Rugby titles with the Chiefs.
“A helluva player. You’ve got a guy who’s a former All Black putting his hand up.
“That’s the thing with unintended consequences. There’s potentially former Wallabies playing for Scotland (Jack Dempsey), type scenario. It’s open for debate but once you open the floodgates, it’s available for everyone I’d say.”
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All Blacks coach Ian Foster, however, wasn’t quite as enthused about the Kerr-Barlow revelations.
The halfback also played under Foster at the Chiefs and All Blacks.
“Look, it’s just a consequence of World Rugby’s eligibility laws,” Foster said.
“It kind of doesn’t feel right to me, but rules are rules, and he’s entitled.
“All I know is the beauty that he brought into the All Blacks camp, he’s a quality person and quality rugby player, so there is no judgment on that decision.
“But what I remember from him is the influence he had in our environment, which is fantastic. To kind of think of that going somewhere else is a bit funny.”
But All Blacks lock Sam Whitelock – a former teammate of Kerr-Barlow – had no issues.
“My initial thought was just let him play,” Whitelock said.
“It’s just going to add motivation for us to play against him.
“He’s a great player and he’s done some amazing things for us but it’s no different to any other player playing one or two games and then changing after a couple of years of not being available for that team.”
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