Player exodus brings call for security

The New Zealand Rugby Players Association says new contracts with the rugby union will have to address security of player payments to prevent a mass exodus of players from chasing the yen, pound or euro.

In recent weeks, several players have called time on their New Zealand careers with former All Black Adrian Cashmore and his Bay of Plenty provincial captain Wayne Ormond the two latest to head overseas -- Cashmore to Wales and Ormond to Japan.

Among other players to sign contracts to play overseas this year have been long-time All Blacks Justin Marshall, Andrew Mehrtens, Carlos Spencer, Jonah Lomu and Carl Hoeft, as well as other provincial and Super 12 players.

Ormond has expressed his frustration at not knowing if he will be given a Super 14 job next year and Waikato and All Blacks flanker Marty Holah has spoken about the difficulty of so much of his pay hinging on the whim of the All Black selectors.

But Players Association executive director Rob Nichol today told NZPA the association was in collective contract negotiations with the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU).

At this time of the year, players tended to assess their options and might head offshore.

"I don't think it (the risk of losing players overseas) is going to go away... however, we're hoping some of the initiatives we will hopefully secure through that process will provide the players with a more compelling basis to stay in New Zealand."

While bound by confidentiality, Nichol was hopeful the negotiation would help keep New Zealand's best players here at the peak of their careers .

It was not just about paying the players the most money, but the whole package of the potential for higher honours and other factors in the New Zealand lifestyle.

"What we're trying to do is to create an environment where when the players are playing the best rugby of their career, we're able to retain them in New Zealand."

It was also likely New Zealand would see younger players head overseas at a young age and come back earlier and play in New Zealand at a high level, like Waikato prop Philemon Toleafoa, 23, who passed up the chance to train with France to come back to New Zealand.

Nichol said guaranteed overseas offers had been attractive to players but the collective bargaining was addressing the situation in New Zealand, which players were "clearly not happy" with.

"We have had a selection-based payment system in the past, which means a player's money has effectively been at risk from non-selection.

"The attractiveness of some of the overseas offers is not just the quantum of the money but is the guaranteed nature of what is paid."

New Zealand could see longer-term contracts with better security of payment and Nichol was confident New Zealand could match overseas offers, given all the factors involved.

Nichol stressed it was not all bad news in New Zealand, with players choosing to stay here or return, including players like former Springbok Joggie Viljoen who has just signed for Manawatu.

"We need to keep improving, because if we don't we will lose our top players and we can't afford to do that.

"If you want to be the best in the world then you need the best players and the best competition."

Although the threat of rugby league to union was not as strong as it had once been, Nichol said the challenge remained in New Zealand to attract talented athletes at a young age to play rugby instead of other sports.

- NZPA