NZ Rugby must change its selection policy

All Blacks first-five Aaron Cruden
France-bound Aaron Cruden won't be eligible to play for the All Blacks next season, so should NZR amend its selection policy? (Getty)

OPINION: One of the All Blacks' very best players, first-five Aaron Cruden, is off to Montpellier in France at the end of this season - where he will reportedly earn $2.4 million over the next two years.

While that's great for Cruden's bank account it puts an end his career in the black jersey - staunch NZ Rugby selection rules mean a New Zealand player plying their trade overseas will not be selected for our beloved national rugby team.

With speculation the world's best fullback Ben Smith may also follow Cruden to Europe, NZR bosses must be concerned that the trickle of top All Blacks chasing the big money in France and England might yet turn into a flood.

And that one day the tradition and pride in pulling on the black jersey will no longer trump the mega money on offer overseas.

In the past we've seen All Blacks at the end of their careers, such as Ma'a Nonu and Dan Carter, cashing in on the big dollars in Europe, but now with Cruden and possibly Ben Smith leaving the fold in their prime, is it time for the NZRU to reassess its selection policy?

New Zealand is the only rugby nation - and indeed the only national sports team on Earth - that doesn't allow its players to represent the national team if they play for an overseas club.

Even paranoid North Korea allows its top footballers to play in Switzerland and Japan and still represent the communist state.

Is the current selection policy working?

Given the current strength of New Zealand's Super Rugby franchises, and in turn the All Blacks, it is hard to argue against the selection policy at present, but could it be amended?

Our great rugby rivals the Springboks and the Wallabies pick the occasional overseas player for national duty if they're short of depth in a certain position.

So what if the NZ Rugby selection policy allowed for a special dispensation for an overseas player if they played in a key position that the All Blacks didn't have much depth in?

Let's speculate that star All Blacks first-five Beauden Barrett suffers a season-ending injury ahead of the 2018 Rugby Championship, and then back-up first-five Lima Sopoaga is also ruled out injured.

Aaron Cruden would be the obvious man to fill the role, but he'll be living in the south of France.

But with an 'SOS' amendment to the NZR selection policy, Cruden would be allowed back in the fold and back in black, just in time to take on the Wallabies, Springboks and Pumas.

If I was one of the NZR bosses, I'd want this option if it meant the All Blacks had a greater chance of victory with this particular player in the team.

We all want the All Blacks to win every game they play.

Let's give selectors the chance to pick the very best players to do so.

Newshub.