All Blacks flyhalf Harry Plummer says Scott Robertson’s attempts to change the country’s eligibility laws and open the door to a Richie Mo’unga return is a reason why he has left for France.

Plummer led the Blues to a Super Rugby title and made his All Blacks debut off the bench in the final match against the Wallabies.

Seeing his path to more regular time blocked, and having initially been left out of the All Blacks squad for the Autumn Nations Series, Plummer surprised many by signing to play in France with Clermont for the 2025-26 season. He will go around with the Blues again in 2025, first.

While Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie are clearly above Plummer in the pecking order, the flirtation with Mo’unga – who is currently ineligible due to being contracted in Japan – helped Plummer make up his mind.

“I’m pretty open about it,” Plummer told the New Zealand Herald.

“I feel like New Zealand rugby is in a position where they showed their hand a little bit with their first-five stock.

“You’ve got Beauden, with a wealth of experience, and we saw what he did on the world stage on the northern tour. DMac has been playing some unbelievable footy and during the Rugby Championship showed exactly what he can do and the impact he brings to a game.

“Being in that environment I felt I probably wasn’t going to get a shot, a proper crack at how I envisioned it.”

He was also open on the impact of Robertson’s desire to bring back Mo’unga.

“There’s talk of Richie Mo’unga coming back. That didn’t seal my fate but it weighed on me little bit,” he said.

“Yeah, I’m young, but I’ve got this amazing opportunity in front of me to finish on a high with the Blues next season and try do something special by going back-to-back, and then get an opportunity to have a massive lifestyle change, move to a really cool part of France, and play in a great competition.

“That will grow me as a person and a player a lot more too, getting to play Northern Hemisphere rugby and seeing what it’s like going deep into their season. That was ultimately my decision and how it landed.

“I’ve got no bad blood with anyone, New Zealand Rugby or the Blues, that’s the way it goes. You can’t play footy in New Zealand forever.

“It’s really important for people to know that if I could stay at the Blues forever I probably would. This team and region has given me my crack to be in a position like this and to get the successes of 2024.

“I love this team, what it stands for and the community aspect. That was the hardest part, saying goodbye to that for now.”