Wynne Gray: Players rush to depart as Super Rugby grows

Leading player Daniel Carter has revealed his intentions to play offshore after next year's World Cup. Photo / Supplied

The departure queues of players are growing while Super Rugby is expanding.

Warnings about the competition began to beep louder this week as leading players Daniel Carter, James Horwill and Adam Ashley-Cooper revealed their intentions to play offshore after next year's World Cup.

The trickle of international-class departures will become a steady flow as overseas clubs and the players sort out deals to maintain their lifestyles and rosters.

A clutch of experienced All Blacks will not be going around in black or in New Zealand after next year. That picture will be repeated in Australia and South Africa as senior players view life after their final tilt at Webb Ellis glory.

As the ebb gathers pace and the hubbub of the eighth Rugby World Cup subsides, Sanzar officials will begin their publicity drive about the merits of a professional tournament with three more sides in Japan, Argentina and South Africa. Those franchises will need about 120 players of decent standard to compete in their debut season while the other 15 sides will be dealing with significant numbers of players leaving.

A stack of New Zealand talent has made an early run for riches elsewhere before the congestion becomes too great. Tanerau Latimer, Corey Flynn, George Whitelock, Piri Weepu, Tom Donnelly, Zac Guildford, Mils Muliaina and Jarrad Hoeata have taken their All Black pedigree away.

Promising players such as Bundee Aki, Gareth Anscombe, Tyler Bleyendaal and Andre Taylor have quit, seasoned pros like Adam Whitelock, Tom McCartney, Tim Bateman and Phil Burleigh have gone.

Pacific Island reps Jack Lam, Faifili Levave, Asaeli Tikoirotuma and Alipati Leiua have scarpered to cement a deal before they link with their unions for the World Cup.

Other seasoned players such as Blues former captain Luke Braid are going once the next Super Rugby season is done.

Across the Ditch the situation is being repeated. Former Wallabies Kane Douglas, Ben Mowen, Nick Cummins, Rod Davies, Arthur Anae, Alofa Alofa and Hugh McMenamin have gone, others such as Pat McCabe have retired, some on the edge of the test squad like Hugh Pyle have signed with an overseas club.

The glass half-full mob will offer theories about opportunity in 2016 and the entertainment and commercial value of bringing teams from Argentina and Japan into the tournament. Others who believe in the less is best concept and genuine round-robin rivalry will point to expansion failures in other codes and the flaws of fragmented competition.