English clubs to raid NZ talent
2008-03-17 13:21
Sydney - Big-spending English rugby clubs will have an extra one million pounds in their coffers as they get set for off-season raids on southern hemisphere talent, with off-contract All Black Daniel Carter as the principal target.
The salary cap in England's Guinness Premiership is being lifted to four million pounds from next season, adding one million pounds to the player salary total.
That's hugely significant in terms of clubs' ability to offer the sort of contracts that would lure Carter or his All Blacks teammate Nick Evans away from New Zealand.
It's already likely that French super-club Toulose will also weigh in with a massive deal to entice Carter into that country's Top 14 competition, for which there is no salary cap.
Stade Francais, with multi-millionaire backer, Max Guazzini, is another that could break the bank to lure a player of Carter's stature.
Carter's signature would smash the record mark of 300 000 pounds-a-year (NZ$750 000) paid to lure All Blacks tighthead Carl Hayman to Newcastle.
It's thought Carter could be offered a deal in excess of NZ$1m a year to play his rugby in the north.
Carter has made no secret of his fascination with playing in the northern hemisphere, late last year telling UK media that he would strongly consider any offers to take his game there when his current contract ends.
Fairytale
In a recent interview with his home-town newspaper, The Press, Carter did little to diffuse the suggestion he's ready to entertain the big money available in the north.
"In a fairytale I would love to be here in 2011 playing for the All Blacks," he said. "That would be a dream."
But: "I come off contract at the end of the year and I suppose it is a matter of weighing up what I want to do. At this point I am just focusing on this campaign."
Carter's representatives did not want to talk about their client's prospects for beyond this year, no doubt happy to let the offers come rolling in before they make any firm decisions.
UK sources suggest the salary cap increase should allow leading clubs to look at signing at least three marquee players in their off-season spending sprees.
And with the new agreement between the RFU and clubs kicking in (whereby clubs are compelled to release England internationals for a certain number of weekends a season) it's thought that the value of southern hemisphere players will rise even further.
Leicester is one club committed to landing a big-name No 10, with either Evans or Carter sure to be at the top of their wanted list.
Wait and see
Carter is considered the No 1 target, given his contract situation and stated interest in playing in Europe, but the talented Evans, thriving with the Blues in the Super 14, is not far behind him.
Evans also comes to the end of his deal with the NZRU in 2008.
It's thought he wants to wait to see what Carter does before committing himself to a shift north.
If Carter takes the money and jumps ship, Evans will finally have the way clear for an uninterrupted run in the All Blacks No 10 jersey and could elect to stay.
Sources in Christchurch indicate Carter has still to make up his mind on what his future will be post-2008, but suggest it will take a "compelling" offer to lure him away from New Zealand, where he has several business interests alongside a contract with the NZRU thought to pay him in the region of $600 000 a year.
Whwatever decision Carter comes to, the reality is that the raids from cashed up English and French clubs on the creme of New Zealand talent are only going to continue.
Jerry Collins, Ma'a Nonu, Craig Newby, Mose Tuiali'i and Isa Nacewa are just some of the leading New Zealanders being targeted.
Money threatens
New Zealand Rugby Players' Association boss Rob Nichol believes rugby is in major danger of heading down the path of international cricket where Indian money threatens to change the face of the game.
"Rugby is very close to being in a scenario similar to what cricket is experiencing now," said Nichol, emphasising that the European scene is only going to grow stronger with its major broadcast and sponsorship deals.
"If you're part of the Pacific Islands or Argentina, it's there now."
Already the NZRPA has 150 overseas-based members, or 15% of its membership. Nichol estimates that in the next few years that figure could raise to as high as 50%.
The players' boss strongly believes that the only way for New Zealand rugby to compete with the money on offer in the north, and retain leading players, is to expand the Super 14 to include Asia-based sides and to open up the New Zealand franchises to private ownership.
"Everyone's saying we've got a problem keeping Dan here.
"But what if he was also looking at offers from Shanghai, Hong Kong, Sydney or even Auckland and Christchurch, to compete in a competition that would still see him playing in this part of the world?"
Nichol acknowledges that there would need to be some significant shifts in thinking to take rugby to the sort of levels he envisages, but already we've had Australian Rugby Union boss John O'Neill this week laying the seeds for that sort of move with his proposal for a significant expansion of the Super 14.