Rugby: Transfer activity abuzz till last day

Wellington midfielder Robbie Fruean. Photo / Getty Images

One of the more active transfer markets of recent seasons closed for business on Friday night with the likely result that Robbie Fruean shifted his allegiance from the Hurricanes to the Crusaders.

The hugely promising Fruean had been targeted by the Crusaders to replace the midfield gap left by Casey Laulala, who is off to Cardiff.

The 21-year-old is a former IRB under-19 player of the year and made the Junior All Blacks this year despite only limited game-time with the Hurricanes. At 1.9m and 103kg, he's a bruising prospect and tipped to go far, but staying at the Hurricanes will leave him vying for a midfield place alongside Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu and Tamati Ellison.

The Crusaders have Ryan Crotty and Tim Bateman, two smooth footballers who run neat lines and combine well and the attraction of Fruean is that he would offer some up-the-guts, direct confrontation similar to Laulala. He could be the midfield strongman and, at close of play on Friday, it was believed he had agreed to shift to Christchurch.

It's unlikely that Canterbury wing James Paterson will be a Crusaders teammate next year, who is thought to have signed with Southland to make himself available for the Highlanders.The 22-year-old wing is one of the strongest players in New Zealand in terms of what he is able to bench press.

That strength and explosive pace has made him a handful this season, but the Crusaders will be looking to protect Sean Maitland and Zac Guildford who they have bought from Hawke's Bay on a loan-back basis. With Colin Slade able to cover wing as well as Adam Whitelock and Kade Poki also in the region, Paterson's move makes sense.

Michael Hobbs is also believed to have been picked up by the Highlanders, which should go someway towards offsetting the loss of Daniel Bowden to Auckland. Hobbs was drafted to the Blues last season and showed good awareness and tactical nous whenever he played. He's comfortable at either first or second five and will be a good man to have in the mix.

This year's activity has been complicated by the increased number of deals involving players who are not off contract. There are also greater numbers of players now whose New Zealand Rugby Union contracts are not in sync with their provincial deals.

Anthony Boric and Tony Woodcock were two of the higher-profile players who are committed to New Zealand until 2010 and 2011 respectively, but both came off contract with North Harbour this year.

Other players such as Alby Mathewson are committed to both the NZRU and Wellington, but have been allowed to play for the Blues. In the case of Mathewson, Wellington - in consultation with the Hurricanes - agreed to the move, as they understand Mathewson's ambition to push his All Black claims.

With Piri Weepu having signed long-term with Wellington, Mathewson's Hurricanes' future would involve much time on the bench, whereas the Blues would start him every week. Knowing that he'll come back to Wellington after the Super 14 was the key to permission being granted.

There were many other players who were targeted under similar terms, most notably Stephen Brett, but conclusion was not reached before the deadline. That is expected to make the draft process a tense affair, as it is believed that some franchises, including the Blues, will leave more than four places open to be filled from the draft. Teams can protect up to 24 players.

If there are players who want to be available for another franchise and that franchise wants them, then pressure will be applied for individuals to be released.

The objective of Super 14 selection is to ensure that the best 140 players in the country are contracted. The NZRU has also been more involved this year to ensure there is not an exodus from the Highlanders.

Both Jimmy Cowan and Jamie Mackintosh had offers to leave, and while both were keen, neither left in the end.