By Chris Rattue
All Black Glen Osborne is considering half a dozen major offers to play rugby overseas, while fellow-North Harbour backs Glenn Davis and Nicky Little are to join European clubs.
North Harbour alerted the New Zealand Rugby Football Union to information it received about the offers to Osborne, the World Cup utility back.
The 28-year-old Osborne, who has played 19 tests, confirmed the massive offers when contacted by NZRFU contract manager Tony Ward on Wednesday night.
North Harbour chief executive Doug Rollerson said: "Oz apparently said 'I never knew I was that good'."
Some North Harbour players, including Osborne, have specific contract clauses allowing them to go overseas. Osborne would not be able to continue as an All Black while he was away.
Osborne's NZRFU contract ends after the World Cup and North Harbour believes the fringe test player, who was shipped off to the Super 12 Hurricanes this year, will depart if he is not offered a reasonably competitive deal.
Fullback Davis, aged 24, will sign with a French first-division club this week, which could eliminate him from North Harbour calculations next season.
The first French offer came last week and he received another two days ago.
Davis said yesterday he would sign a contract until July, meaning he could return to the NPC.
But if the initial French spell went well, his contract could be extended, meaning an immediate return was unlikely.
Davis has not played Super 12 and the French offers involved far more money than he could earn here. The slender fullback has continued to work as a construction site manager and said fulltime rugby would help his game.
"It's pretty tough working five and six days a week as well as playing. With my physique I've got to do a lot of work and you don't get the time," said Davis, Harbour's top try scorer in 1999.
"That is one of the attractions of going ... but the money is pretty amazing."
Harbour assistant coach Allan Pollock is already planning next year's squad without Davis, with B fullback Darren Robson set to step up.
Little, 23, will join English club Sale. He did not figure with North Harbour this year because he was with Fiji.
With Frano Botica retiring, Harbour will move Marc Ellis into first five-eighths, but Little would have been the back up, and offered second five-eighths and goalkicking cover. Sale must buy out Little's North Harbour contract, but it is only worth a few thousand dollars.
Pollock said the union was philosophical about the departure of players who could earn good money elsewhere, although it hopes the NZRFU will retain Osborne.
"It is always a worry when you lose two quality players [Osborne and Davis] in one position, although we are relaxed about Glenn's situation. He doesn't figure in Super 12 calculations," said Pollock.
"I don't know the details of the offers to Oz, but there's a definite possibility he will play overseas.
"If the offers are only 50 per cent more I think he would stay. Glenn is the classic Kiwi character, and loves things like the hunting and fishing in this country.
"But if they are two or three times the size, then you have to go, 'Hey, wait a minute.' Judging by the money offered to Glenn Davis and Nicky Little, and extending that out for Oz, they will be very big offers. You just keep adding noughts."
* Wayne Shelford and Pollock have been reappointed as coaches of North Harbour next season.
Rugby: Osborne main target of European raid on Harbour
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