Rugby: Mooloos poised to pounce

Tony Woodcock. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Waikato be the beneficiary of the Blues' inability to get their act together as the Mooloos are poised to pounce for Tony Woodcock and possibly Anthony Boric.

Both Boric and Woodcock are off contract with North Harbour in two weeks and, while they want to stay, the financially-strapped province says it can't afford to pay top dollar for players who will barely feature. Woodcock has played only one of Harbour's last 30 games while Boric is unlikely to be involved much next year or at all in 2011 should he, as expected, reclaim his place in the All Black squad.

Typically, an All Black of Woodcock's standing can command $100,000 for his provincial contract, sometimes more. Harbour, who spent about $1m on their entire squad this year, say they don't have $200,000 - almost one-fifth of their total budget - to spend on two players who might not even play for the province between now and the World Cup.

This year the New Zealand Rugby Union paid 75 per cent of all current All Blacks' provincial salaries - which meant Harbour only had to find about $25,000 this year to pay Woodcock and Luke McAlister.

But that funding is being withdrawn next season and Harbour have asked the Blues to help out with the contracts of Boric and Woodcock.

As it will be the Blues who will be getting the most use out of both players, it makes sense for the franchise to find the money to enable Harbour to complete the deal.

So far, though, the Blues have not acted and both players now have attractive counter-offers. The Chiefs would love to sign Woodcock to give their front five the scrummaging edge it needs while Boric, too, would be welcomed. Boric is also understood to have offers from two other provinces.

Both players would prefer to stay with Harbour or, at the very least, be contracted to a union that allows them to be protected by the Blues.

One option would be for Auckland to sign both. The union, while by no means as wealthy as they once were, are believed to still have the money available to contract both players.

That would guarantee both could be available and protected by the Blues. Auckland could then loan them back to Harbour after the Super 14.

But while this deal would make sense and appease Harbour, there are some who believe if Auckland did loan back the players, they would demand a major payment - which is exactly why Harbour have been unable to contract them in the first place.

There are also concerns that Auckland might be letting the clock run down as Woodcock and Boric have to sign with a province by October 16. One theory is that Auckland will only move closer to the deadline, or should either player progress talks with a rival franchise, and then make an offer.

That way Auckland and the Blues end up with a win-win. But the risks of that strategy are significant.

Boric is prepared to leave if he feels he's being used as a pawn in political shenanigans between franchise partners. He's also not prepared to let the Blues keep him hanging on until a few days before the October 16 deadline.

If a genuine offer isn't forthcoming from either Harbour or Auckland, then Boric wants to have time left to negotiate elsewhere.

The other danger for Auckland is that their refusal to help out Harbour is further damaging an already dysfunctional relationship.

Harbour would have already retained Woodcock and Boric had they been allocated two Super 14 games next year as they were this year.

The Blues have decided to stay exclusively at Eden Park next season but did offer Harbour the Hurricanes clash in February - for a fee of $30,000.

Given that Harbour provided All Blacks Woodcock, Boric, Rudi Wulf and Anthony Tuitavake, as well as Chris Smylie and Jimmy Gopperth to this year's Blues squad, they feel they deserve something back from the franchise.