Tony Brown has joined the likes of Sir John Kirwan and Wyatt Crockett in voicing their annoyance with the All Blacks player management policy in Vodacom Super Rugby.

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The Highlanders assistant coach believes that the fans’ concerns about the lack of game time for the nation’s best players were justified and that the policy itself – which is meant to combat fatigue – may end up costing fringe players their opportunity to play for the All Blacks.

‘It’s always been the sort of Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Kieran Read plan, where they need to give those guys all a rest so to keep it all even they make it mandatory to rest every All Black,’ said Brown.

‘I think in the past it’s actually cost a few players their All Black careers.’

Brown would prefer the policy which limits game time to 180 on-field minutes in the first three rounds to be enforced on a case by case basis.

‘If you look at the Highlanders, guys like Malakai Fekitoa, Waisake Naholo, Elliot Dixon, those sort of guys who actually didn’t get a lot of time for the All Blacks, those guys getting rested as well which didn’t allow them to prepare for Super Rugby,’ he said.

‘And then their Super Rugby form actually cost them their All Blacks spot.’

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