Anzac rugby unions shape up for player war
By GREG FORD - Sunday Star Times | Sunday, 12 October 2008
Anzac rugby unions shape up for player war - New Zealand's source for sport, rugby, cricket & league news on Stuff.co.nz

New Zealand and Australia are on the verge of a fully fledged turf war as our trans-Tasman neighbour mounts a new attempt to raid our player reserves to bolster its Super rugby franchises.

Talented Blues back Benson Stanley and his brother Winston are being targeted by the Queensland Reds, who ripped the carpet from under the Blues' feet last week when they signed All Black Daniel Braid.

Australian Super rugby sides can now select two overseas imports, something players' union boss Tony Dempsey said Kiwis should be thankful for.

"The competition needs an injection of interest," he said. "We want to bring players like Brian O'Driscoll and Sebastien Chabal to the competition and we think New Zealanders should see that as a positive."

But rugby administrators here have been spooked by Australia's aggressive recruitment tactics which is being driven by recently departed Crusaders and Blues coaches Robbie Deans and David Nucifora.

Both are working behind the scenes to lure more Kiwis across the Tasman the Stanleys, who were born there, the latest example.

Leading player agent Craig Innes, who helped broker Braid's deal, warned it might be the tip of the iceberg. "The whole landscape is changing. Australia is targeting players at under-20 level even. When the [New Zealand and Australian] school boys played [in New Plymouth on Friday] generally a few league scouts turn up but apparently there were agents everywhere. The player market at all levels is heating up and if Australia gets a fifth super rugby franchise they going to target players from everywhere. There's major pressure coming on from all sides, including Japan."

Japanese clubs have expanded their international player quota from two to three although the third import must be eligible to play for Japan. This means emerging players, who have not yet played for the All Blacks, will come under demand.

Innes said: "It's going to be awfully tempting for them isn't it. The black jersey still holds sway for most of them but things are changing. It's going to change the way we think about everything including All Blacks eligibility.

"The [NZRU] is already taking baby steps towards [allowing overseas players to be selected] but things are evolving so fast.

"I don't think we're far away from a big change."

The NZRU argues if it relaxes the rule then it will be at the mercy of overseas clubs when selecting the All Blacks.

To rub salt into the wound, Australia's rugby boss John O'Neill is encouraging franchises to offer contracts to promising Pacific Islanders who have not yet played international rugby so they can become eligible for the Wallabies.

New Zealand has mined the region of talent for years, but Australia's Pacific Island player liaison officer Ron Stanley confirmed Australia was upping the ante.

When asked if he thought this would place strain on trans-Tasman relations, Dempsey said: "We're only doing what New Zealand has been doing for decades."

For now, Australia getting another Super rugby franchise poses the most imminent threat. In the Sunday Star-Times a fortnight ago, Dempsey's Kiwi counterpart Rob Nichol warned that a fifth Aussie franchise would amplify demand for Kiwi rugby players in an already heated player market, making Braid's departure the tip of the iceberg.

But New Zealand does hold an ace up its sleeve if Australia's actions start to encroach too far into our player reserves.

New Zealand (like its Sanzar partners) holds the power to veto any proposed change to the competition, so O'Neill's expansion plans could yet be scuttled if relations sour.

It's unlikely it would take such a drastic step. But Australian actions appear to have hit a raw nerve at a time when New Zealand's player depth is at an all-time low.

The New Zealand Rugby Union is said to be anxious about developments. NZRU boss Steve Tew said: "It's an interesting development which we're watching closely and talking to the Australians about."

Blues coach Pat Lam told the Star-Times this week: "There's now a realisation nationally that the depth of talent is probably the thinnest we've had. When you consider 90-odd players made their debuts in the Air NZ Cup and 100-odd players are now playing professionally overseas, well that's had a big impact." All Blacks coach Graham Henry also bemoaned the impact the player exodus has had on the Air New Zealand Cup saying standards had slipped.