Rugby: Departure would close chapter

Piri Weepu's style of play is popular in France. Photo / Getty Images

If Piri Weepu heads offshore at the end of the Super 14, as many have predicted, it will close a fascinating chapter in New Zealand rugby.

Rarely does a fringe All Black create such debate. To some, he is the most talented halfback in the country. To others, he is ponderous, inconsistent and hasn't fulfilled his potential. Each time his contract comes up for renewal, a keen interest is taken in his future.

More established All Blacks like Doug Howlett, Aaron Mauger, Chris Jack and Byron Kelleher weren't the subject of such intense debate as Weepu.

It's possible the 26-year-old will take up a lucrative contract to play in France, potentially with Perpignan. Although he is contracted to the NZRU until the end of the year, a release clause allows him to depart if he's not in the All Blacks. And it's hard to see him make the cut for the June internationals.

What will be at the front of Weepu's thinking is the fact he missed out on the last World Cup in 2007, when he was the only member of the reconditioning group not included in the final 30-man squad. Weepu could choose to cut his losses this time around and cash in while his stocks are still high.

"There's always that chance to play in the World Cup but that can be easily taken away from you," he says, perhaps pointing to what happened in 2007. "You're not guaranteed anything 16 or 17 months out. You have to do what's good for you and make the right decisions.

"If you're not going to be involved in the World Cup squad, you have to take the losses and start thinking about yourself. I guess you can talk to the All Blacks coaches but you can't really do much when you sit on the bench."

Weepu made a rare start on Friday night against the Reds in place of Tyson Keats and was tidy, especially in the second half, although Reds halfback Will Genia looked a more dangerous attacker.

Weepu is the sort of player who will be roundly admired in France. They love halfbacks in the mould of Frederic Michalak who kick goals and can also play first five-eighths. They also love combative ones who play with flair and passion.

He would presumably be well paid to do this and it's hard not to imagine a French fascination with a Maori player of Niuean descent who played 35 tests for the All Blacks. For Weepu, though, it would be a massive cultural shift and that might be something that holds him back.

The preoccupation with Weepu began in 2004 when he went from Hurricanes back-up halfback to All Blacks starter in one season.

It grew when he admitted his desire to play rugby league in the NRL and he was soon linked to the Warriors, Newcastle Knights and Gold Coast Titans. He was even invited to play for the All Golds on the Kiwis tour of the UK and France in 2007.

"I still think about [rugby league]," he admits.

"My brother played in the NRL and it was a burning desire to follow him. I put that one on the back-burner but I still think about it all the time. I don't take much notice when people are talking about me. I leave that to my family and they don't really tell me if it's good or bad. They just tell me to keep doing what I'm doing."

He's not likely to be doing it for much longer in New Zealand and Friday's match against the Waratahs in Sydney could be his last if the Hurricanes miss out on the playoffs.

People will then have to find someone else to talk about.