This is the document that proves New Zealand Rugby is fighting to protect its 47-year stranglehold over the best schoolboys across the Tasman from defecting to the NRL.

The paperwork is viewed by NRL clubs as a tactic of NZ Rugby to discourage students from taking up opportunities in rugby league.

A first look at NZ Rugby’s “Loyalty Agreement” can be revealed by this masthead amid an increasing number of talented rugby union players choosing to join NRL junior development systems.

Below the high-profile NRL success of cross-code stars Mark Nawaqanitawase, Kalyn Ponga and Isaiya Katoa is a fresh batch of highly touted teenagers from the 15-man game that have recently joined NRL clubs from rugby pathways in New Zealand – including Harry Inch (Warriors) and Saumaki Saumaki (Rabbitohs).

NOT JUST THE WAHS

But NRL clubs, not only the Warriors, are now more active than ever across the Ditch, installing academies, and talent identification scouts in New Zealand with their sights also set on the best schoolboys in the country.

In October, St George Illawarra scored a huge coup by signing 16-year old Rokko Walker, a First XV five-eighth from All Blacks factory, Auckland Grammar School.

The Warriors have also signed 26 schoolboy rugby stars last year to their pathways systems, as the club’s footprint continues to grow not just at the elite level but also at the grassroots.

Only last month, CEO of powerhouse Super Rugby franchise the Crusaders Colin Mansbridge accused NRL clubs of being “lazy” and reliant on rugby union development pathways to stock their rosters with talented prospects.

Mansbridge’s shot over the bow was viewed by many NRL clubs as a sign of frustration from the rival code, whose pathways have been under an intense spotlight recently following the NZ Schoolboys – in existence since 1980 – side being humiliated by Australia’s under-18s rugby union team 81-48 and 55-33, plus the All Blacks recent loss to England.

CHECK THIS BOX

The document outlines a number of conditions, including one which pertains to “not participating in competing sports’, where players and parents must declare whether they are also aligned with a rugby league club. Sources with experience in the process of being presented with the document feel they will be overlooked for NZ representative teams if they choose not to sign the agreement.

NZ Rugby say the agreement is merely a way to “gather information about the individuals entering our high-performance pathway, and to work with them to avoid conflicts with other sporting codes or programmes.”

“In the event that a player or parent declares conflicting commitments, or does not wish to sign the agreement, we have a conversation about the situation with the goal of resolving any obstacles to their selection,” NZR GM Professional Rugby & Performance Chris Lendrum said. “Every case is different, but in general it is rare for a player not to commit to the schools’ programme.

“If a player advises they have already signed a long term employment contract with another code, we discuss that with the parents and player before making a final call on selection.

“Ultimately, it is about making an informed decision around a player’s short and long term future in the rugby pathway.”

LEAGUE V UNION

Asked why Condition 2.1 of the document, which outlines a ‘no competing agreement’, specifically references rugby league, Lendrum said: “In our experience rugby league is the winter code most likely to have direct calendar conflicts with our sport and for our players. In our experience rugby league has been the only code that entered into contracts with school age students so it made sense to us to specifically list it as an example.”

Another condition outlined in the documents asks players to refrain from signing ‘any agreement’ with another organisation or giving ‘any undertaking or commitment that you will sign any agreement, where your obligations under that agreement would commence prior to the expiry of this Agreement without the prior written consent’.

The agreement states that consent will not be ‘unreasonably withheld’ but players are to inform NZ Rugby of any contractual approach made by other sports.

For players who sign the document, and are not selected in the secondary schools team, the agreement expires soon after the two-game series, but it remains in place into the following year for those who earn a place in the side.

Most NRL clubs will begin signing players into their Harold Matthews (under 17s) pathways squad before the agreement has expired.

One NRL boss told this masthead that while elite rugby prospects in New Zealand, like those picked in the national secondary schools team, will most certainly aspire to be All Blacks, budding talents in the 15-man game across the Tasman would ultimately also be targets for NRL clubs.

THE SWITCH

In recent years, a number of players selected in the secondary schools side have defected into NRL systems like Caelys-Paul Putoko (Warriors), Francis Manuleleua (Knights), Saumaki Saumaki (Rabbitohs), Harry Inch (Warriors) and Tevita Naufahu, who made his NRL debut for the Dolphins this year. Putoko and Manuleleua were widely considered as the top rugby schoolboy prospects of their respective cohorts.

While Siale Pahulu, who earned selection in this year’s side, was part of the Warriors’ inaugural championship winning Harold Matthews outfit before opting to remain the NZ Rugby’s pathways.

The document is yet another major chapter in the battle for the best footballing talent across the Tasman.

Last year, we revealed how some powerful rugby schools are flexing their muscle over rugby league in New Zealand, amid allegations students at the prestigious Hamilton Boys High School were being pressured into turning their backs on the Warriors junior pathways.

It’s understood the school has since eased its stance, and even released a number of its First XV players to participation in the New Zealand Rugby League National Secondary Schools Tournament this year.

PACIFIC RISE

The rise of the Warriors, the NRL club that boasts a team at every level of representation, including under-15s, 18s, 21s, NSW Cup, NRLW and NRL, has emerged as an enticing pathway for school aged footballers.

Record crowds and TV ratings during the Pacific Championships held in Auckland last month, plus the plan to stage a historic State of Origin contest in New Zealand in 2027, are major factors in the NRL’s mission to break rugby union’s stranglehold at a grassroots and professional level in New Zealand.

The battle for the best cross-code schoolboys and junior talent is also playing out on Australian shores, where the relationship between prestigious rugby schools and NRL clubs is seen as mutually beneficial.

RUGBY AUSTRALIA

While Rugby Australia has been working to streamline its pathways and retain its best talent amid the poaching threat of not only rugby league, but also French rugby, a spokesman confirmed to this masthead that RA did not have a ‘loyalty agreement’ in place as part of the selection process for the Under 18s national team. For example, four players from this year’s under 18s squad are currently part of pathways systems at NRL clubs, including Canterbury, Parramatta and the Wests Tigers.

In addition, prodigious talent Heinz Lemoto, who signed with French rugby last May, was selected for both 2024 and 2025 Australian under 18s union sides despite also playing junior representative rugby league for NRL powerhouse, the Penrith Panthers.

It is now also commonplace for players contracted to NRL clubs to feature in the First XV sides of elite GPS rugby schools, both in Sydney and Brisbane, and in development and academy squads of Super Rugby outfits.

NRL AGENT INFILTRATES NZ

The NRL is on an unapologetic and bold mission to become the most dominant football code across the Tasman.

The long-term plan has taken its most significant step with the NRL appointing it’s first full-time employee and direct conduit on the ground in New Zealand.

Instead of relying on major stakeholders the Warriors and New Zealand Rugby League to propel the game, newly appointed Tim Lythe, head of strategy NZ, will report directly to NRL CEO Andrew Abdo and ARLC Chair Peter V’landys.

Lythe will be charged with helping prepare the game for the eventual inclusion of a second New Zealand team in the NRL by helping the Warriors and NZRL better support pathways and development, while also ensuring the game’s commercial viability in the rugby union obsessed country.

“It’s exciting for us because it will effectively be the first time we’ve had a full-time employee at a senior leadership level based in New Zealand,” Abdo said.

“Tim will be working ­directly with me and our senior leadership team on our strategy in New Zealand from top to bottom.

“From commercialising the game and servicing fans, all the way down to school, grassroots and pathways programs.

“Obviously, Tim will be working extremely closely with the New Zealand Rugby League and the Warriors.

“New Zealand for us is such a critical market for not just fans and players, but for every aspect of the game.

“We want to service it and we want to make sure that we’ve got a strong presence on the ground in New ­Zealand.”

The major move from the NRL is in the wake of the rise in popularity of the Warriors and the amount of feeder teams that the NRL club supports, coupled with record crowds in Auckland during the recent Pacific Championships and the plan to expand to a second team in New Zealand.

“Ultimately, if we were going to move to 20 teams, that would be a logical location,” Abdo said. “So this is all part of our broader and long-term plan to make rugby league in New Zealand its most dominant sport.

“Tim will be heavily connected with all the stakeholders so that we’re able to have a closer relationship with everyone.”