Rugby: Heat goes on as All Black D-day dawns

Rudi Wulf could be tempted to leave if he misses All Black selection. Photo / Getty Images

It was the All Black selectors who had everything to ponder during the week. Now it is the turn of the players to make plans, depending on what today's news brings.

A host of All Black hopefuls have overseas offers in the pipeline with decisions about whether to take them put on hold until today, when it will become clear what their future looks like in New Zealand.

Jerome Kaino, Adam Thomson, Tom Donnelly, Anthony Boric, Conrad Smith and Joe Rokocoko are all off contract at the end of the year and all would be quality acquisitions for overseas clubs.

Only Rokocoko would be vulnerable to missing out today and the expectation is these players will shortly commit their futures to New Zealand through to at least 2011, probably longer.

Under more pressure is a group containing Rudi Wulf, Michael Paterson, Stephen Brett and Piri Weepu.

Given All Black coach Graham Henry's recent comments about his concerns that New Zealand is losing a critical layer of what he calls "middle management", every effort will be made to keep this group here.



This weekend, Waikato and Chiefs lock Kevin O'Neill, another former All Black, announced he will play his rugby for the new Melbourne Rebels franchise next year.

NZRU general manager of professional rugby Neil Sorensen admits it won't be easy keeping all four. The likes of Thomson, Boric, Kaino and Smith have reasonable certainty they are firmly in the frame to make World Cup selection. For Wulf, Paterson, Weepu and Brett, the odds are that bit longer.

"There is no doubt that what happens today will have a bearing on what some players think about the next 12-18 months. They will get a steer from the All Black coaches.

"We have seen that, because of the decimation caused by injuries, our top 40-50 players are really only ever a couple of games away from making the All Black 22. That's a point the coaches will make to all of them."

The value of these players is not so much to the All Blacks - it is the role they play in guiding and mentoring younger men in provincial and Super rugby.

Wulf would arguably be the worst loss as he's still only 25 and possibly the country's best defensive wing. He's in a tight contest for a place as there is depth - Zac Guildford, Cory Jane, Ben Smith, Hosea Gear, Rokocoko and the injured Sitiveni Sivivatu are vying for wing berths.

North Harbour are understood to have made an attractive offer to re-sign Wulf and are confident he will be staying. Toulon are thought to have a good offer on the table too.

They are aware that, like most elite players, Wulf is contracted to stay until 2011 but has escape clauses allowing him to move on this year should he miss All Black selection.

As New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew revealed a few weeks back, there is a developing trend for fringe All Blacks to believe they will be better off leaving this year, rather than waiting for the big names like Dan Carter and Richie McCaw to come on the market next year.

Tamati Ellison took that view, deciding he was a long shot to make the World Cup squad and would be best to go to Japan now, as next year, the big clubs will be using their budgets to try to snare the very biggest names and the second tier will see their contracts squeezed. Anthony Tuitavake (Japan) and O'Neill have also decided to go.

Brett has said he is considering a switch offshore though is yet to confirm that his decision will be influenced by his test prospects. Perpignan are believed to be interested and there are others.

Perpignan are also hopeful Weepu will sign. The Hurricanes halfback had been chased by Bayonne but they have signed Taniela Moa, signalling they may have given up on Weepu.

The expectation is that Weepu will be named in the Maori team this morning - possibly even as captain. But that should not be viewed as confirmation he is no longer wanted by the All Blacks.

As the third halfback in the All Black squad, he wouldn't play in the June tests. Having him in action with the Maori makes more sense and he'll be asked to give the All Black selectors reasons to promote him to the larger Tri Nations squad.

Paterson has enjoyed the best season of his career and is believed to have been invited to the All Black camp in Auckland this week. That presumably means he is on the radar and forms part of future plans.

The Hurricanes are trying to lock him in to their squad for next year but are waiting for him to commit to New Zealand.

Rokocoko has rediscovered his counter-attacking verve and is widely tipped to be recalled today.

If he is, the chances are high he will recommit with New Zealand until the World Cup.

If not, Toulon will no doubt make an offer, as will other clubs.