Inside the delicate Fehi Fineanganofo situation: How he has two pathways into the All Blacks

Wednesday, 3 June 2026

ANALYSIS: There are two ways that Fehi Fineanganofo could be an All Black this year - and Hurricanes fans will be desperately hoping that the second one comes to fruition.

First, All Blacks coach Dave Rennie could pick Fineanganofo even if he is still bound for Newcastle Red Bulls in the UK.

The Post understands there is nothing stopping Rennie from doing so - no internal pressure from within New Zealand Rugby or policy stating this can’t be the case.

Second, Fineanganofo and his representatives could approach Newcastle - if they haven’t done so already - to begin the hard talks of getting him out of his contract. He could then stay in New Zealand and chase an All Blacks jersey and a place at the Rugby World Cup in Australia next year.

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At that point - and only at that point, not before - can NZ Rugby enter the picture.

And crucially, The Post understands that NZ Rugby would be open to negotiating a settlement with Newcastle.

It would be done with a degree of wariness because of the precedent it would set, but it is understood that if Fineanganofo gets to that point and Newcastle reluctantly agree to let him go, some form of commercial agreement would be possible between NZ Rugby and Newcastle.

There is no NZ Rugby contract currently in front of the in-form winger.

While talks clearly take place between NZ Rugby and player agents all the time, Fineanganofo has not been presented with a contract, never mind signed one, that would then lead him to try to get out of the Newcastle deal.

At this stage, he’s a future Newcastle player until he informs the club that his position has changed because the facts have changed.

Fineanganofo will certainly have a clear idea about Rennie’s thinking. The All Blacks coach visited the Hurricanes a few weeks ago and conversations would have taken place at that point with all of the Hurricanes’ potential candidates.

But Rennie and his assistants are not the NZ Rugby contracting team - they wouldn’t have slipped a NZ Rugby contract into Fineanganofo’s pocket.

NZ Rugby is wary about the Fineanganofo situation because it is a significant exporter of rugby talent.

It can’t afford to get into the habit of negotiating settlements for players who made early decisions to leave, only for them to surge into All Blacks contention.

There was a payment to Scarlets for coach Brad Mooar, but that isn’t a like-for-like situation with Fineanganofo.

The Post also understands that whatever compensation was paid to Clermont to get Waisake Naholo out of his deal in 2015 was likely to have come from the Highlanders.

Yet, it is fairly clear that Fineanganofo is the form winger in New Zealand this year - and that was evident even before Caleb Tangitau ruptured his Achilles.

Fineanganofo is banging down to the door to the All Blacks, and NZ Rugby isn’t going turn down the chance to keep him if that is what he wants and the terms with Newcastle are favourable.