Tuilevu: rip up my contract

By CHRIS RATTUE

North Harbour wing Aisea Tuilevu wants Otago to rip up the three-year contract he signed with them in late July.

North Harbour and Otago are in a tug-of-war over the Fijian wing, who burst on to the Super 12 scene as a loan player for the Peter Sloane-coached Highlanders this year.

North Harbour claim the contract is null and void because Otago did not follow the International Rugby Board regulations.

The dispute may need a New Zealand Rugby Football Union judicial sub-committee to mediate.

Tuilevu's manager, John Foliaki, urged his client to be cautious, saying discussions were needed between the two parties to determine the status of the contract.

Tuilevu told the Herald last night that he was unsure of the Super 12 coaching and selection situation when he signed with Otago.

He now wanted to stay with Harbour and keep his association with Sloane, who has taken over at the Blues.

Tuilevu was to meet Foliaki, an Onehunga-based lawyer, late last night to ask him to telephone Otago and Highlanders chief executive John Hornbrook today.

Tuilevu said: "I made my decision too early ... I didn't know that Peter Sloane would want me to play for the Blues.

"When I did sign, I still had the feeling I wanted to go to Otago. After I signed, I found out it was illegal.

"I've thought about this for two months and spoken to Sloany, and I've got no doubt I want to stay with North Harbour and play for the Blues. He gave me my chance this year and I respect him as a coach. I know I can play for him."

Tuilevu may now be rated one of the two best Blues wings, alongside Doug Howlett, and he would be a certainty for the Laurie Mains-coached Highlanders.

The IRB requires the chasing union to gain written consent from the player's current union to make an approach - simply a courtesy in many cases.

Tuilevu's contract requires him to notify North Harbour if he is going to negotiate with another union, which he did not do.

Hornbrook says the letter asking for consent was sent on July 25, but North Harbour chief executive Doug Rollerson says it was received on July 30. Otago flew Tuilevu to Dunedin on July 26, when the contract was signed, leading Rollerson to claim they must have been in negotiation well before the letter was posted.

He said North Harbour might re-sign Tuilevu as early as today, and notify Otago that they did not recognise their contract.

Rollerson said: "This is the dark side of rugby.

"It is most unusual, especially as we have developed a special relationship with Otago, and sent a number of other players there. The contract is illegal."

Hornbrook believed that Tuilevu, whom he called a "crowd pleaser," still wanted to head south, and was being pressured.

"There are times when players feel a wee bit dissatisfied and if we think they're not getting far we'll let them out. But my blanket response is that we expect contracts to be honoured."

NZRFU support services manager Greg Peters would not comment on whether a breach of IRB regulations would necessarily invalidate the contract.

Peters said the IRB regulation was a fairly new one, and had never been tested in New Zealand previously.