Ardie Savea informed New Zealand Rugby that he planned to quit the All Blacks last November, with a report slamming suggestions he led the rebellion that led to Scott Robertson’s sacking.
Earlier this year, NZR shocked the rugby world by announcing that Robertson had been removed from his role as head coach following an extensive review of the 2025 international season.
Reports at the time said Savea was “very unhappy” and gave NZ Rugby the decision it was either him or Robertson, the star who was determined to end his international career.
Ardie Savea’s decision to quit the All Blacks
Furthermore, he was said to be at the forefront of a player revolt against Robertson and his coaching staff, but New Zealand Herald’s a recent report says those claims were more than the mark.
Savea informed NZ Rugby chairman David Kirk that he wanted out of the final two years of his contract with the organization during the Grand Slam tour last November, but the reasons for the decision were family driven and not because of unhappiness with the coaching staff.
“Savea was clear – he was struggling with the nomadic life of being away from his family for a long time,” Gregor Paul wrote in the publication.
“For the past two years, traveling to rugby has meant that he has missed a lot of time with his wife Saskia Savea and three children, and his close-knit family.”
The Herald it was also reported that Savea felt his ‘way out’ was to terminate his NZR contract, and is believed to have told Kirk he was physically and mentally exhausted after playing almost every game for Moana Pasifika and the All Blacks.
The article says the 32-year-old is on a NZR contract worth north of $1 million a year, with the club refusing to agree to an early termination. Instead, Kirk explained how much NZ Rugby valued him and that they didn’t want to lose him and would work with him to find ways to help him over the next two years.
The coach at the time Robertson was not informed of the meeting between Savea and Kirk, the player only announced his intention a few days later in the week of the All Blacks’ clash with England at the Allianz Stadium. He is understood to have said the same to Robertson as he did to Kirk.
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Conflict with Scott Robertson
Chief executive Mark Robinson, who resigned, and Robertson both reiterated that NZR would work with Savea to find a solution as they did not want to lose him but this time, Savea insisted he was done.
The Herald spoke to more than 20 sources about the Savea situation and throughout their exhaustive search, there was no evidence that the back-rower made a decision about Robertson in his decision to leave international rugby made for the reasons stated above.
In fact, the publication adds that Savea was misled and indicated that he would see out his contract a full month before Robertson was released. It adds that, given how the last report exploded on social media, he feels he is considered an international boy with the right to play, which the source said ‘strongly rejects’.
“But both things can be true at the same time,” Paul admits.
“And the Herald has been told Savea did not enjoy the All Blacks environment in 2024 and 2025, and is believed to have felt he never had the same strong relationship with Robertson as he did with former All Blacks coach Ian Foster.”
Scott Robertson’s handling of the “respected” All Black was struck by the Frenchman’s “helplessness” and motivation.
Sources have confirmed to this newspaper that the problems with Savea and Robertson started when the striker chose to sign Moana Pasifika – who did not have rest and rotation agreements with the All Blacks.
When discussions began about his future after the 2023 World Cup, he had already agreed to another sabbatical in Kobe for 2026. Therefore, the hurricanes did not want him to be available in 2025 and 2027, but not in 2026.
The Wellington club also lacked the budget to meet his salary demands, while Moana is believed to have increased their offer through a third-party deal, while Robertson and NZR general manager of professional rugby Chris Lendrum initially opposed the move, citing concerns about the club’s culture, facilities and training. Savea eventually joined Moana, taking the opportunity to play for a team that fit his identity and his family.
“While there was some tension between Savea and Robertson during the Moana talks, it’s not true,” the report added.
“There are many reports from people connected to the club that Savea and Robertson had a working, professional relationship and that both of them had informal and personal relationships like the coach did with other players.”
‘If one name comes up, they should all come out’ – Ex-All Black slams ‘bullcrap’ Ardie Savea
Relaxing with cards?
Although Robertson appointed him as on-field manager, sources claim that Savea has never felt valued as a strategic leader on the field, with meetings normally run by captain Scott Barrett, vice-captain Jordie Barrett and midfielder Beauden Barrett.
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After Savea spoke to Kirk before the game against Scotland, the man offered former All Blacks halfback Keven Mealamu to work with the back rower and convinced him to stay in New Zealand. The strategy that finally worked as the representatives of Lendrum and Savea are buildinga forward to mid-December, aimed at reaching his peak for the 2027 World Cup.
One of the ideas would see Savea skip the July internationals and return to the All Blacks only ahead of the South African Super Series.
READ MORE: All Blacks greats are urging the next coach to ditch “tired” Scott Barrett as manager but Ardie Savea is NOT the preferred successor to Jeff Wilson.
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