Rugby: Mauger plans return for Cup

Aaron Mauger says time spent playing for the Leicester Tigers has improved his skills. Photo / Getty Images

Aaron Mauger looks set to follow the path of Luke McAlister and Chris Jack back to New Zealand rugby in time for the World Cup next year.

Despite plenty of speculation, the Leicester player won't announce anything officially for another three or four weeks. But in an exclusive interview with The Weekend Herald, Mauger left little doubt that he will return to New Zealand. And there is now an equally strong likelihood that Carl Hayman will join him on the journey home.

Slowly, yet surely Graham Henry's potential World Cup squad is gathering both momentum and quality.

Mauger made little attempt to hide the way he is leaning. The positive nature of his remarks about what he calls "new challenges" back home, both for himself and his family, reveal his thinking. "I would be excited about the possibility of returning home," he admitted.

"I haven't signed anything yet, back home or here. But going home is definitely an option."

If that sounds ambiguous, New Zealand rugby fans need not be too worried. It's just that Mauger is fully aware of the considerable efforts Leicester have made over the last 30 months to help him settle and enjoy his stay. He wants to be fair to them, too.

But he admits that before he even left New Zealand, he and his wife agreed they would return to bring their two children up in their home country. Their son is now five and their daughter, three. "The school here has been great but you enjoy the way you grew up back home and you want your children to experience that, too. It's been on our minds how long we would keep them here."

But Mauger is no dreamer. He's certainly not fooling himself with regard to the World Cup next year. He knows that he's made the task of even getting into the All Blacks squad so much tougher for himself by playing overseas for the last 2 years. In his absence, Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith have emerged as the world's No1 midfield unit. Waikato's Richard Kahui has also come through.

"A lot more guys have been exposed to international rugby in the last few years and that has been a really good thing for New Zealand rugby," said Mauger. "Now there is a new group and they have taken up the challenge really well. The team got stick early on for not winning as many games but those guys are definitely better players now. You have to give credit to the coaches for bringing those new guys through.

"To have a go at trying to be part of the World Cup would definitely be a factor in my decision. But you take nothing for granted especially in my position. The guys have done an outstanding job and formed a great partnership. I have always kept an eye on the situation and I know I'd have to play exceptionally well to have a chance.

"But before that, I'd have to try and make the Super 14 side. So in that sense the World Cup is a long way off. But I admit it'd be a great way to go out. It depends on the body as well, though. It's been a frustrating last eight or nine months for me, especially with the recent back injury. However, it has given me the chance to freshen up and work on other things."

He believes he's a slightly different player now. "The game is definitely played differently here with different interpretations. I think it's quite good to have that balanced approach and I think my game is much more rounded now. Rugby is played at greater speed in the Southern Hemisphere whereas here, it's more of a physical game and you have to learn different ways to get over the gain line.

"It's definitely been an advantage to me to experience the way it's played up here. But it would be a big challenge to see if I'm still up to the pace of the game back home. I have to admit, I prefer the way the game is played in New Zealand. That is what I grew up with and played my whole career that way. But I will definitely take some things back from here.

"Some things could benefit the Southern Hemisphere countries. It has been good for some New Zealand players to gain experience over here, to see the way they work with slow ball. And the mauling here is pretty impressive, too, the way the forwards retain the ball. They seek to look after it through several phases and that could definitely benefit the game back home."

From this different perspective, Mauger believes he may have unearthed one of the key reasons why New Zealand will go into next year's World Cup with the emotional baggage of 24 years time span since they last won the event. He suspects that the greater amount of knock-out rugby played north of the equator compared to the south has been a significant advantage at the World Cups.

"It's a matter of getting into the mindset and trying to replicate the approach and attitude you need at a World Cup. It's such an intense period, you have got to be on your game all the time. Teams are exposed to a lot of knock-out rugby in the Northern Hemisphere with the finals, Heineken Cup matches etc. In New Zealand it's different. Maybe they need to extend the play-offs in the Super 14."

But the game worldwide needs to address one other key issue, in Mauger's view. "We play too much rugby all over the world and that is compromising players' ability on the field."

- Peter Bills is a rugby writer for Independent News & Media in London