The lure of the All Blacks is strong. We know that, it's that lure of being an All Black that allows Aotearoa to keep it's best rugby talent in Aotearoa for long enough to maintain their exceptional standards. It's that lure of being an All Black that ensures that regardless of who eventually leaves Aotearoa to be paid what they deserve on the open market, there is always someone ready to take their place as an All Black.

The lure of being an All Black is most evident in the sport of rugby union, within Aotearoa. Such an honour holds immense power, so it's no surprise that the lure of being an All Black spreads its tentacles out into other sports and to other countries. Travel the world and you'll see, or feel the power of the All Blacks, leave Aotearoa and you'll realise that Aotearoa is only really known for Lord of the Rings and the All Blacks ... and subsequently the exploitation of maori through the haka.

Obviously, if the power of the All Blacks is felt around the world, it's going to be felt in the figurative and literal neighbours of the All Blacks; rugby league and Australia. Over the past week we have heard Kalyn Ponga and Jamayne Isaako talk about the possibility of trying to crack the All Blacks, or perhaps more specifically, simply stating what we already know about the lure of the All Blacks. 

Two young rugby league talents, publicly talking about the All Blacks, less than a year after Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Nelson Asofa-Solomona were being tempted to switch to rugby union.

For us young folk, we don't feel any angst between rugby league and rugby union. We have grown up with the two codes co-existing in our lives, despite the voices of older people spreading a disdain towards the rival code. The rivalry between the codes solely exists via older folk and as older folk tend to still have the loudest voice, the messages of such player movements being a win or a loss for either code are spread.

Ponga and Isaako are talented youngsters, meaning that it's easy to see how losing them to union would be a bummer. The most important takeaway I can give you at this point is to always remember that there's always someone else who will replace anyone, in either code. Don't get caught up in the negativity around losing Ponga to union or AFL - Ponga was part of the Brisbane Lions AFL system - for example, just know that there will be someone else.

But that skips around the point of all of this; Ponga, Isaako, Tuivasa-Sheck and Asofa-Solomona all played rugby union. 

Ponga was a 1st XV  star in Brisbane (along with Brodie Croft and Jaydn Su'a, while Angus Chricton played in Sydney). Isaako was recruited from St Bedes College 1st XV in Christchurch by Cronulla Sharks, Asofa-Solomona was recruited by Melbourne Storm while playing for Wellington College 1st XV and Tuivasa-Sheck dabbled in league for Otahuhu College around his 1st XV duties, with Sydney Roosters fighting off a variety of clubs in league and union to sign him.

The group above are the most high profile examples of how kids in Aotearoa and even Australia genuinely grow up playing both codes. Even you and I switched between league and union rules at lunchtime footy, with the common factors being a ball and wanting to play something with your mates. Anyone who is shocked, or even some what surprised, or even interested in the fact that young NRL players are expressing the lure of the All Blacks, obviously hasn't grown up in Aotearoa in the past 15-20 years. 

These kids are capable of switching between codes very easily and we only need to take a quick dive into the flow of players between the two codes to get a gauge of this. 

Matt Duffie and Ngani Laumape went from union to league and back to union. Solomone Kata went from union to league. Hayze Perham juggled both while at Rotorua Boys High. 2017 Junior Kiwis Patrick Herbert and Isaiah Papali'i both played 1st XV rugby in Auckland. Sam Lousi switched from the Warriors to Wellington Hurricanes to play lock (hardest switch of all). I could go on and on, diving even deeper into all the players who are currently in junior systems of NRL clubs who were signed directly from rugby union.

This is all to set the scene of breaking the barriers between league and union. There are now no barriers, they have been demolished over the past decade and whether it's the athletes or fans, league and union have blended together. Blended together beautifully might I add as fans get to enjoy two of the best sports in the world, two sports that are the truest forms of contact sport.

Athletes get to enjoy the benefits of either code as well. Right now there is more money in league, so players can earn more money switching to league. That will change at some point and the ability to be fluid, not only benefits players financially, they are able to challenge themselves, step outside their comfort zones and become better people. Players get to work under different coaches, learning different aspects of being a professional athlete and can do so without having to head to Europe.

With these two sports now blended together, there is minimal shock in young men like Isaako or Ponga stating their All Blacks dreams. They are essentially rugby union kids who switched to league, obviously the lure of the All Blacks is going to tickle their hearts. I mean; the lure of the All Blacks tickles all our hearts, so what do you expect it to do for kids who predominantly played union growing up?

Time is on their side. Time is on Tuivasa-Sheck's side, time is on Asofa-Solomona's side. These lads are young men who have the sporting world at their feet and if I was in their shoes, I'd be bloody keen to jam some NRL footy for a while and then see what I can do in rugby union. Again, I stress that there is no shock to that. It's normal and I envy any athlete who has such choices.

Ponga's situation is a point of intrigue though. Ponga has opted to play for Queensland and thus Australia in rugby league, while also celebrating the All Blacks. This is also an incredibly normal situation in 2018 as many kids grow up in Australia and Aotearoa, they move from Aotearoa to Australia and are legit eligible for both. Ponga's maori heritage pulls him back to Aotearoa and he lived here for a couple years as a teenager, he's lived most of his life in Australia though. 

The crux of Ponga's narrative is that the lure of the All Blacks is greater than the lure of the Kiwis. Too right. No one with any slither of sporting sense would disagree with that, there is nothing in the Kiwis that comes close to challenging the lure of the All Blacks. The challenge for Kiwis coach Michael Maguire is to take steps towards establishing cultural and performance foundations that resemble the All Blacks; merely taking steps towards that is a huge boost for kiwi rugby league.

For someone who has all sorts of choices like Ponga, representing Australia in rugby league and Aotearoa in rugby union makes perfect sense. Ponga is the best example of the sporting cultures in Aotearoa and Australia where kids are graced with the opportunity to play a variety of sports, as well as the relationship between Aotearoa and Australia, especially for kiwi families. 

Slide that into the Isaako narrative and he, along with the likes of Tuivasa-Sheck, Asofa-Solomona and a large number of others, are examples of the professional sporting landscape in Aotearoa and Australia. Australian NRL clubs want kiwi talent and they don't care whether that talent comes from league or union, they trust their systems to produce NRL players.

Any league fan, or pundit who has concerns about NRL players talking about playing for the All Blacks or moving to play union, don't really much of a foundation to stand on. Over the past 10 years, the signing of 1st XV union players by NRL clubs has intensified to it's current climax - I'm not sure where we go from here. NRL clubs have made a point of signing union talent, especially from Aotearoa and this makes it completely understandable that any number of these players have some ambition to return to union. 

To return to union and take the journey of pursuing the All Blacks dream. Nothing in Australia or Aotearoa can match the lure of the All Blacks, so to sign talent to NRL clubs from union backgrounds in Aotearoa and not expect them not to feel the lure of the All Blacks is silly. In 2018, we sit in a glorious position where all our needs are covered as footy fans and players have the power to pursue their dreams. These two sports have blended together and the lure of the All Blacks now resides in the NRL, as well as rugby union in Aotearoa. As it should.

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Peace and love 27.