KEY POINTS:
The fairly recent rule banning international rugby players crossing borders is a good one even though it might hurt smaller nations - clear identities are vital to test integrity.
If ever a player deserved a dispensation though, it is Blues utility back Isa Nacewa.
Nacewa is Ireland-bound and a two-minute appearance for Fiji against Scotland at the 2003 World Cup in Australia is at the heart of the matter.
Nacewa hurtled over to join injury-hit Fiji during the tournament hours after Auckland had just won the NPC title in Wellington. Nacewa, who did not play in the final, didn't even have time to pack his clothes.
An influence at that pivotal moment was the Auckland coach Wayne Pivac, soon to become the Fijian coach.
Nacewa was born and raised in Auckland and feels no connection to the Fijian team - a reason he has been absent from the squad since.
There was nothing malicious in what happened in 2003 although an incidental two-minute gallop has trapped him with Fiji.
In hindsight, his call-up was too rushed considering the massive ramifications and he should have sought or been given wiser counsel. Nacewa was 21 but naive in representative ways and got caught in a whirlwind. It has cost him dearly.
The IRB is unlikely to set a precedent and make him eligible for the All Blacks, which is Nacewa's dream. This reluctance on the IRB's part prevents Nacewa securing the best New Zealand Rugby Union contract possible. So the Blues must farewell a playmaker they can ill-afford to lose.
The Nacewa case is a warning for others. It also reveals the weakness of a centrally controlled and funded rugby system. Greater independence and private investment would encourage, indeed force, Super 14 franchises to fight their own battles and find their own solutions.
