Benji Marshall is injury prone and getting old. Photo / Getty Images
Just wait for the incredulous howls when, as will almost certainly happen, the New Zealand Rugby Union refuse to throw any money at Benji Marshall.
They probably won't offer him a bean and, far from suggesting they are out of touch with the professional game, it should be seen as
confirmation they know how to handle themselves in a complex market.
The facts are these: Marshall is a 28-year-old NRL star (he will be 29 if/when he makes the move next year) who last played rugby when he was 16. He has a long, if not recent, history of serious injury and that, plus his age, would make him what the All Blacks call a 'red flag' athlete.
New Zealand already has one of those - he's called Daniel Carter and he's played rugby since he was five; been an IRB Player of the Year twice, almost won 100 caps and will, in all probability, end his career recognised as the best No 10 of all time.
Behind Carter there is Aaron Cruden and Beauden Barrett - two young men who have emerged through the development systems here. How would they feel, having worked as hard as they have over the last few years and having heard consistent messages that they are on the right track, to then see a pile of cash tipped into the pocket of someone who hasn't even played a game of senior club rugby?
