38

// NZ RUGBY WORLD // JUNE/JULY 2015

I

t’s not an easy exercise determining

whether New Zealand is facing a

player retention crises. Some people

will insist there is a damaging exodus

in full ﬂow – an unseemly rush for the

door as the best players trip over

themselves to ﬁll their pockets with

foreign loot.

This theory says the barbarians can no

longer be kept at the gate and that the last

one leaving New Zealand should turn off

the lights.

The other view is that in terms of the

market, it is very much business as usual.

The volume of players leaving New

Zealand spikes in World Cup year and the

offshore predators have always been there

– always had more money. No dramas –

the All Blacks won’t be adversely affected

and the next generation will step up as

they always have.

The truth – or best attempt at the truth

– lies somewhere in between.

It’s true that World Cup years have

typically seen a spike in the number of

players leaving. There was a signiﬁcant

clean out in 2007 that carried elements of

predictability and surprise. Senior players

such as Anton Oliver, Chris Jack, Keith

Robinson and Byron Kelleher moved on

after the tournament, but the national

body was a little caught out by the number

of younger players – Aaron Mauger, Carl

Hayman and Luke McAlister – who also

decided to head offshore.

When the exodus didn’t slow in early

2008 – deﬁnitive action had to be taken.

Jerry Collins asked to be let out of his

Offshore clubs are aggressively targeting

New Zealand’s best players with big money offers

and have managed to snare a couple the All Blacks

wanted to keep. GREGOR PAUL asks if this is

typical of trading patterns or whether a new

trend is emerging.

market

myths

DEPTH CHARGED

The Springboks were able to

exploit the All Blacks’ lack of

experience in 2008.

[ market myths ]