For once, the phrase “Four more years” will be music to the ears of New Zealand rugby fans.
That was not the case in Sydney in 2003, when the World Cup dreams of New Zealand were shattered once again, prompting Australia captain George Gregan to yell “Four more years, boys, four more years,” at the prone New Zealand scrum-half Byron Kelleher. That taunt was just another reminder of how New Zealand habitually has found a way to come up short on rugby’s biggest stage every four years.
But this month, those three little words brought relief and joy in equal measure as superstar fly-half Daniel Carter and then the All Blacks’ inspirational captain, Richie McCaw, pledged their futures to New Zealand rugby by signing new four-year deals.
Their decisions to stay have provided a huge lift for rugby in New Zealand as it continues to deal with the steady stream of players heading to Europe and Japan.
Carter’s decision to stay through 2015 was more of a surprise than McCaw’s re-signing. The New Zealand captain had hinted strongly his preference was to remain in New Zealand, but Carter had been considering big-money offers from overseas.
The fact that he turned his back on lucrative contracts from the French clubs Racing Métro and Perpignan and an English team, Bath, was a feather in the cap for the New Zealand Rugby Union and its decision to “think outside the square” when it came to contract terms.
While the details of the contracts remain confidential, it is understood that the hugely marketable duo will be the highest-paid rugby players in New Zealand, and both will also continue to supplemen their rugby salaries with money from endorsement deals.
N.Z.R.U. chief executive Steve Tew made no secret of the fact that his organization had taken a flexible approach when it came to dealing with two of rugby’s biggest names — and the exciting talent Sonny Bill Williams can expect the same treatment during his contract negotiations as well.
Williams’s current contract allowed him to compete in two boxing bouts, the second of which takes place this Sunday, and being able to pursue his dream in the ring is likely to feature in negotiations this time around, too.
This flexible approach for its two star players has resulted in Carter’s and McCaw’s both getting a sabbatical option in their deals — not a regular feature in New Zealand rugby player contracts — that will give them either an extended break or allow them to take up a short-term contract overseas without jeopardizing their involvement with the All Blacks.
A similar clause in his previous contract allowed Carter to sign a six-month deal with Perpignan in 2009, although his time in France was cut short when he ruptured his Achilles’ tendon.
Normal N.Z.R.U. eligibility rules require players to be based in New Zealand to be considered for All Blacks selection.
Carter and McCaw both openly admitted that the desire to keep playing for New Zealand had played a big part in their decisions to re-sign, which means that rule will not be relaxed any time soon.
“We think that right now it’s absolutely not the right time to look at that,” said Neil Sorensen, N.Z.R.U. general manager, professional rugby. “We think the lure of the black jersey, the fact that our players are playing here in our competitions in our backyard is an important part of what makes the All Blacks a successful team.”
Those eligibility rules are also a key factor in the constant battle the N.Z.R.U. faces to retain its players as it cannot match the vast spending power of clubs in Europe and Japan, which are bankrolled by wealthy benefactors.
Unlike in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, where players are contracted to their national unions, players in England, France and Japan are contracted to clubs and are released to their national unions only at specific times of the year.
That means that the N.Z.R.U., which pays the wages of players at all five Super Rugby franchises and the 14 ITM Cup provincial teams, cannot compete with a club that has one squad to finance, especially when that club is in the French Top 14 with an €8 million, or nearly $11.5 million, salary cap or in the English Premiership, where starting in the 2012-13 season the salary cap will be raised by £500,000, about $825,000, to £4.5 million, and one marquee player can be signed outside of that cap.
Typically, the players who choose to head overseas are those whose All Blacks careers are on the wane or who believe they have little chance of playing for their country and wish to get some financial security for life post-rugby, although most also say that the chance to experience a different country and culture plays a part in their decision to go.
Sorensen admits the trend is unlikely to stop. “But it’s no bigger now than it was 10 years ago. It’s something we’ve had to deal with ever since professional rugby started,” he said.
“There are always players that we will lose, and we understand that,” he added. “We just factor that into our planning. That’s why we have to put a lot of effort into our talent identification and player development.”
Sorensen also does not see the New Zealand rugby landscape moving toward a more European-type club structure where Super Rugby franchises became independent of the N.Z.R.U.
“I don’t envisage them ever being separate to the N.Z.R.U.,” he said, “but I certainly envisage a time, and we welcome a time, when additional investment comes in where private investment was secured for franchises and franchises generated significant revenues from outside the N.Z.R.U.
“Right now their biggest form of revenue is from us because we pay for their players. We would welcome enquiries from wealthy corporates and wealthy individuals. We would certainly open our arms and say ‘Come and visit us, we’re happy to talk.”’
That was not the case in Sydney in 2003, when the World Cup dreams of New Zealand were shattered once again, prompting Australia captain George Gregan to yell “Four more years, boys, four more years,” at the prone New Zealand scrum-half Byron Kelleher. That taunt was just another reminder of how New Zealand habitually has found a way to come up short on rugby’s biggest stage every four years.
But this month, those three little words brought relief and joy in equal measure as superstar fly-half Daniel Carter and then the All Blacks’ inspirational captain, Richie McCaw, pledged their futures to New Zealand rugby by signing new four-year deals.
Their decisions to stay have provided a huge lift for rugby in New Zealand as it continues to deal with the steady stream of players heading to Europe and Japan.
Carter’s decision to stay through 2015 was more of a surprise than McCaw’s re-signing. The New Zealand captain had hinted strongly his preference was to remain in New Zealand, but Carter had been considering big-money offers from overseas.
The fact that he turned his back on lucrative contracts from the French clubs Racing Métro and Perpignan and an English team, Bath, was a feather in the cap for the New Zealand Rugby Union and its decision to “think outside the square” when it came to contract terms.
While the details of the contracts remain confidential, it is understood that the hugely marketable duo will be the highest-paid rugby players in New Zealand, and both will also continue to supplemen their rugby salaries with money from endorsement deals.
N.Z.R.U. chief executive Steve Tew made no secret of the fact that his organization had taken a flexible approach when it came to dealing with two of rugby’s biggest names — and the exciting talent Sonny Bill Williams can expect the same treatment during his contract negotiations as well.
Williams’s current contract allowed him to compete in two boxing bouts, the second of which takes place this Sunday, and being able to pursue his dream in the ring is likely to feature in negotiations this time around, too.
This flexible approach for its two star players has resulted in Carter’s and McCaw’s both getting a sabbatical option in their deals — not a regular feature in New Zealand rugby player contracts — that will give them either an extended break or allow them to take up a short-term contract overseas without jeopardizing their involvement with the All Blacks.
A similar clause in his previous contract allowed Carter to sign a six-month deal with Perpignan in 2009, although his time in France was cut short when he ruptured his Achilles’ tendon.
Normal N.Z.R.U. eligibility rules require players to be based in New Zealand to be considered for All Blacks selection.
Carter and McCaw both openly admitted that the desire to keep playing for New Zealand had played a big part in their decisions to re-sign, which means that rule will not be relaxed any time soon.
“We think that right now it’s absolutely not the right time to look at that,” said Neil Sorensen, N.Z.R.U. general manager, professional rugby. “We think the lure of the black jersey, the fact that our players are playing here in our competitions in our backyard is an important part of what makes the All Blacks a successful team.”
Unlike in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, where players are contracted to their national unions, players in England, France and Japan are contracted to clubs and are released to their national unions only at specific times of the year.
That means that the N.Z.R.U., which pays the wages of players at all five Super Rugby franchises and the 14 ITM Cup provincial teams, cannot compete with a club that has one squad to finance, especially when that club is in the French Top 14 with an €8 million, or nearly $11.5 million, salary cap or in the English Premiership, where starting in the 2012-13 season the salary cap will be raised by £500,000, about $825,000, to £4.5 million, and one marquee player can be signed outside of that cap.
Typically, the players who choose to head overseas are those whose All Blacks careers are on the wane or who believe they have little chance of playing for their country and wish to get some financial security for life post-rugby, although most also say that the chance to experience a different country and culture plays a part in their decision to go.
Sorensen admits the trend is unlikely to stop. “But it’s no bigger now than it was 10 years ago. It’s something we’ve had to deal with ever since professional rugby started,” he said.
“There are always players that we will lose, and we understand that,” he added. “We just factor that into our planning. That’s why we have to put a lot of effort into our talent identification and player development.”
Sorensen also does not see the New Zealand rugby landscape moving toward a more European-type club structure where Super Rugby franchises became independent of the N.Z.R.U.
“I don’t envisage them ever being separate to the N.Z.R.U.,” he said, “but I certainly envisage a time, and we welcome a time, when additional investment comes in where private investment was secured for franchises and franchises generated significant revenues from outside the N.Z.R.U.
“Right now their biggest form of revenue is from us because we pay for their players. We would welcome enquiries from wealthy corporates and wealthy individuals. We would certainly open our arms and say ‘Come and visit us, we’re happy to talk.”’
