The Mark Tele’a case is a curious one.

Media reports have surfaced that the off-contract All Blacks wing has agreed a deal to play in Japan.

Telea has been one of the better-performed All Blacks backs of recent seasons, but might have had his full of rugby in New Zealand.

That prompted Jeff Wilson, who once wore the same All Blacks jersey with distinction, to wonder about whether the allure of that team is on the wane. On his weekly television slot, Wilson likened Tele’a’s situation to those of Richie Mo’unga, Shannon Frizell and Leicester Fainga’anuku, who each opted to sign contracts overseas in the prime of their All Blacks careers.

Wilson said he was “concerned’’ a player of Tele’a’s ilk, with years of good rugby still ahead of him, would be contemplating cutting his time as a first-choice All Black short.

Blues star Mark Tele’a is the latest All Blacks star linked with a big overseas move. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

I got a bit of a bee in my bonnet last year about seeing the All Blacks operate like a club side.

I found it hard to fathom why Sam Cane was nursed to 100 caps when he’d already called time on his Test career by signing to play in Japan. I got a bit grumpy that TJ Perenara, who declined a New Zealand Rugby (NZR) contract in favour of a Japanese deal as well, was retained in the squad.

And I packed more than the odd sad about Damian McKenzie being picked at first five-eighth for weeks on end, when his performances didn’t warrant it.

It seemed as if sentiment was guiding selection at times last year, rather than merit or genuinely building towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

We appeared to have a favoured few in the 2024 squad who were treated differently to everyone else. They’d been loyal servants – and fine players in their day – and deserved to be feted for it.

These were men liked and respected by their peers, who were therefore entitled to sendoffs commensurate with their stature within the team.

That’s fine and dandy when the team in question is Linwood or Ponsonby. It’s less palatable when it’s the All Blacks.

Mark Tele’a has been a constant threat for the All Blacks since debuting in 2022. (Photo by Matteo Bottanelli/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Now, how I feel about all this stuff is neither here nor there. My opinion is irrelevant.

But the reason I found it offensive and counterproductive was because of the message it sent to everyone else in the team.

Rugby teams are the sum of their parts. There’s an egalitarian nature to them.

Sure, some players are special, they do have disproportionate impacts upon the result of matches and are in greater demand with fans and sponsors.

But within the walls of the dressing room, they can’t be seen to be more equal than others.

When players, such as Tele’a, decide they don’t want to be All Blacks anymore, that says more about the team environment than it does the player themselves.

Think of the furore that accompanied Charles Piutau’s decision to quit New Zealand for a career in Britain. He was treated like a traitor.

It’s interesting too, that many of the players who decline NZR contracts are Pasifika. Does that say something about the sense of belonging they feel within the All Blacks?

Our collective disgust at their decision to depart New Zealand certainly says something about us.

I sense our attitudes have softened since Piutau and Steven Luatua left. We’re not as quick to condemn those, or at least not get as nasty about players who seek a different pathway.

I hope that’s the case with Tele’a, should he opt to play his rugby offshore.

If he does, then maybe it would be worth the rest of us reflecting on what it is that persuaded him not to remain an All Black.

Is the All Blacks culture not doing enough to entice players to stay home? (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)

Often it is money and the chance for the player to better provide for his immediate and wider family.

Although, let’s be honest, an All Black’s wage is still a very healthy one.

But maybe the sense of value players seek overseas isn’t just monetary.

I’m not suggesting the All Blacks have a cultural problem because, frankly, I’m not close enough to know.

But I am saying that, while life as an All Black appears very fulfilling for some players, others are happy to give it up.

I genuinely do wonder why that is.