Hurricanes star Ardie Savea has left no doubts on where he stands on the controversial new Rugby World League proposal.
On Monday, the All Blacks forward joined the growing list of former and current players opposed to the concept, which would see Pacific Island sides excluded from a new 12-team competition.
"To be honest, I'm not a fan," said Savea. "Plain and simple."
Savea echoed the concerns of All Blacks skipper Kieran Read, who claimed the increased number of fixtures would compromise the quality of the rugby.
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The idea that the likes of Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga could be left out also didn’t sit well with the 25-year-old, who's of Samoan heritage.
"Player workload and shutting out our Pacific brothers - it's not for me, personally."
Conversely, suggestions that there would be further Super Rugby minutes restrictions added to those already in place for All Blacks players struck a nerve.
"I'm struggling as it is, not being able to play with limited minutes, so I'll doubt I'll be happy if the World League goes ahead."
World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont has scheduled a meeting of international tier-one nations at the end of the month to consider widespread criticism of the league.
Savea is much more pleased with is his own on-field form, after another bullocking performance during the Hurricanes' comprehensive 43-13 win over the Brumbies on Friday.
Back in the starting number eight jersey, Savea was in typically destructive mood with ball in hand, while equally effective in the tight exchanges.
"I just go out and try to nail my job, get clarity during the week, so I can go out there and have that instinct, just to play and jam.
"That's what I've been trying to focus on and it's going well so far. I'm just enjoying being out there on the footy field with the Canes brothers.
"It's pretty cool, man."
The Hurricanes are now preparing for a clash with a Highlanders side that are licking their wounds, after a heart-wrenching loss to the Rebels in Melbourne.
"The boys are pretty up from last weekend," says Savea. "It was a bloody good win from us, but there were a lot of learnings to take out of that.
"We've got a big match this week, so we're trying to move forward and get ready for that."
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