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R

ugby has been a professional

sport for 20 years, but New

Zealand is kidding itself if it

thinks it has entirely shaken its

amateur past.

There’s money, endorsements, agents

and contract negotiations which give the

illusion of professionalism, but at the core

of the current game is this rather quaint

notion of what a career looks like.

The expectation within administrative

circles is that professional players today

will view the world just as their amateur

predecessors did and aim to give extended

and loyal service.

Maybe not everyone is cognitive of how

they really feel, but unquestionably, there

is this embedded notion that Richie

McCaw and Daniel Carter have shown

their peers the perfect career path.

There is something admirable,

inspirational even about the way these

two have forever been determined to play

test football and devote, in McCaw’s case,

15 years of his life to it.

Staying in New Zealand has worked for

those two. They have become household

brands with an indelible place in history

and the capacity to earn from their status

long after they retire.

Again, not deliberately or consciously,

but those who follow a different pathway

to McCaw and Carter, appear to be judged

for it. Or more speciﬁcally, those who are

perceived to have the option of being a

long term All Black and choose not to, are

considered to be making a terrible

mistake.

That’s the inference – sometimes the

direct message – which comes from the

national body. In a world of inﬁnite choice,

it seems players can only make one

without ramiﬁcations.

Charles Piutau is the classic case in

point. At 23, he was viewed by the All

Black coaches as a player with a big

present and an even bigger future. He was

all but secured until 2017 until Ulster

came in late with an incredible, almost

ridiculous offer of $1 million a season and

Piutau changed his mind.

He decided that was money he couldn’t

turn down and with that he opened

himself to condemnation. Understandably,

the All Black coaching staff and NZRU

executive were disappointed to be losing a

Young Pacific island PlaYers face comPlex Pressures when it comes to

making career decisions and often their choices are PoorlY understood

bY those running the Professional game. GREGOR PAUL with the storY.

JUNE/JULY 2015 // NZ RUGBY WORLD //

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