Warner Dearns says All Blacks switch was ‘never an option’

Warner Dearns will co-captain Japan against England at Twickenham on Saturday, after turning down informal approaches about switching allegiance to New Zealand and the All Blacks.

The 24-year-old second row moved from New Zealand to Japan aged 14, when his father took a job coaching at a Japanese rugby club. Dearns said he initially did not want to go, but Japan became home: he now speaks Japanese fluently and his son was born there.

Dearns made his Japan debut in 2021, aged 19, after qualifying through residency, and played in all four of the team’s matches at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. He spent this past season with the Hurricanes in New Zealand, helping the Wellington side win Super Rugby, and said playing alongside All Blacks had let him observe how they prepared and led.

Speculation followed that he might return to New Zealand, serve a three-year stand-down from Test rugby and then switch to the All Blacks. Dearns told BBC Sport the talk was hearsay and that changing sides was “never an option” for him.

Japan face England at Allianz Stadium in the Nations Championship. Dearns helped set up a try on Japan’s last visit to Twickenham in 2022, but they lost 52-13. Japan also lost heavily when the teams met in Tokyo in 2024, despite Dearns assisting two tries.