Former All Blacks prop Wyatt Crockett wants NZ Rugby to search for other ways to manage players at the start of the Super Rugby season.

Ex-All Blacks Wyatt Crockett and Sir John Kirwan have challenged NZ Rugby to tear-up the controversial 'load management' policy that continues to polarise Super Rugby fans.

While new NZ Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson told Sky Sport he's satisfied the programme that forces Super Rugby coaches to limit their All Blacks' minutes in the opening rounds, and also rest them for two weeks during the regular season, there are fears this rule will continue to alienate fans who believe the competition is being devalued by the absence of its stars.

SUPPLIED Sir John Kirwan played 63 tests for the All Blacks between 1984 and 1994.

Crockett, who played 71 tests between 2009 and 2017, issued a plea to NZ Rugby to consider the supporters and have some empathy for coaches when asked for his views on the policy during a discussion on Sky's The Breakdown panel this week.

He urged NZ Rugby to consider tailoring programmes for individual players.

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PHOTOSPORT NZ Rugby boss Mark Robinson is satisfied with how players are managed during the Super Rugby season.

"We all understand the players need to be looked after but having this one size fits all blanket rule, I don't think that's the best answer," Crockett said on The Breakdown.

"I know Mark's (Robinson) mentioned they have got a really good solution.

PHOTOSPORT Brodie Retallick will be unavailable for the All Blacks because he's contracted to a Japanese club until May 2021.

"I think that they can do better. Because at the moment I think it disrespects the start of the Super Rugby competition. It's not ideal."

Rarely do ex-players, or coaches, criticise NZ Rugby but Crockett appeared frustrated by NZ Rugby's dogmatic approach in terms of telling Super Rugby clubs that it's one-rule-fits-all policy was the right one.

Kirwan, who played 63 tests between 1984 and 1994, and also coached the Blues for several seasons reinforced the need for NZ Rugby to find a better way to manage the players and to prove to fans they value the Super Rugby tournament.

He said the process needed to be looked at from an "individual point of view".

HANNAH PETERS/GETTY IMAGES Beauden Barrett won't return to Super Rugby with the Blues until mid-April at the earliest.

"The fans don't like it and while Mark's standing there and saying 'the fans don't like it, but our premium brand the All Blacks is successful," Kirwan said.

"I get that. However, if the fans stop turning up and don't engage with their Super sides then they (NZ Rugby) are just going to have to keep pouring money into this competition."

SUPPLIED All Blacks winger John Kirwan starred during the 1987 Rugby World Cup.

Robinson, who has replaced former long-serving CEO Steve Tew, told Rugby Nation he could understand the fans wanted to have the "best possible players playing as much rugby as possible, for as long as possible".

"But the reality of that situation is that we can't manage that, and manage the welfare of our players," Robinson said on The Breakdown.

"So we would like to think the fans still saw a huge amount of representation from our Rugby World Cup All Blacks last weekend.

"I think we had 16 on deck playing, that would have been 19 if the Highlanders had been playing."

GETTY IMAGES Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu had to be replaced in the second half of the Super Rugby match against the Chiefs.

Robinson added that he believed the return to play protocols that had been in place for up to 10 years had "served us very well".

He said it was unrealistic to expect All Blacks to be available from "January to the end of November".

But the early start to Super Rugby, combined with several leading All Blacks being overseas and the obligation to manage the minutes of test representatives in the early games, has resulted in the competition suffering negative feedback from fans and commentators.

As well as All Blacks fullback/No 10Beauden Barrett being on a sabbatical until mid-April, and top locks Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock playing in Japan, there was the sight of key players being hooked in the second half of the first-round games in a bid to limit their minutes.

Blues coach Leon MacDonald had to replace captain Patrick Tuipulotu and ace wing Reiko Ioane in the second half of the game to the Chiefs in Auckland last weekend, which coincided with the visitors fighting back to win 37-29.

The convention is that players will play 40, 60 and 80 minutes over the first three rounds, although there is some flexibility as long as their time on the grass fits into the cap of 180 minutes.

Next year Super Rugby will be reduced to 14 teams and a round-robin format introduced, and Crockett said he hoped that would give NZ Rugby scope to alter their position on this thorny issue.

"Let's hope that they do move with it, and move with those changes and adapt rather than keep this blanket (rule)," Crockett said.

Kirwan questioned why the All Blacks had to have their appearances limited when they had returned home from the World Cup in Japan in early November.

Outside of the World Cup cycle, the All Blacks usually play through to the end of November on their northern tours.

"This year's different," Kirwan emphasised. "New Zealand fans and people want some change … the All Blacks finished a month earlier last year, surely that must come into it."

Kirwan also said the purpose of Super Rugby should be to be a premium competition involving the best players in action.

"I think what it is, is a feeder to the All Blacks and to Europe."

