TIMING EVERYTHING
NEW ZEALAND’S BEST PLAYERS ARE IN CONSTANT DEMAND AROUND THE WORLD, BUT KNOWING WHETHER TO STAY AT HOME OR HEAD OFFSHORE IS AN INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT JUDGEMENT CALL.
Timing, as comedians can testify, is everything. Rugby players have an increasing appreciation of that being the case, too.
Knowing how to manage a career – which path to follow and when – is not easy. It is a fraught business and one that has led a handful of players to live with eternal regret and others to be forever thankful that they held their ground and followed their heart.
For New Zealand players, or at least for most of them, there is constant demand for their services. There is always a market where their services are in demand.
And usually, for many players, they are perennially being offered more money to leave New Zealand than they are to stay. It’s hard to imagine what it must be like living with that constant choice – that constant weighing up of the pros and cons and trying to determine what the best thing to do is.
What makes it particularly hard is that the comparisons are invariably never like for like. Those players with the option to head offshore – typically Europe or Japan – can see that the primary reason for the shift would be financial.
Mid-tier players, those who have a few Super Rugby seasons under their belt, can expect to at least double, possibly triple and sometimes even quadruple their remuneration by heading overseas.
Normally, that’s the reason most players start to seriously consider leaving New Zealand.
Everyone has a price and a few seasons in Europe can often set up individuals with the spare capital they need to start a business or invest in something sustainable that is there for them when they give up playing.
Fitting into that equation is the less definable but still attractive prospect of living in a foreign country and having an experience not open to everyone else.
Against that, the option of staying in New Zealand comes with different and sometimes not so easily understood benefits. For the top players, there is the prospect of being able to play test football.
No one can put a price on that. Take the likes of Dan Carter and Richie McCaw, they could have earned infinitely more cash had they headed overseas in their late 20s, but they would have missed out on winning a second World Cup.
They would have missed out on being part of an All Blacks side that became, probably, the most dominant in history.
The memories and emotional fulfilment that came with being such great All Blacks, they decided, were worth more than the vast sums of cash being thrown at them by overseas suitors.
Besides in the case of Carter, he was able to have his cake and eat it. He gave New Zealand his best years, stayed here until he was close to 34 and then headed to France where he is the highest paid player in the world.
Others such as Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith have managed to do the same and the penny is dropping that players can stay in New Zealand for longer than they imagine and still have the well paid European venture later in their career.
“We try to present the players with a balanced view,” says head of New Zealand Rugby’s contracting team, Chris Lendrum. “We take the view that someone who is 25 or 26, could potentially have another 10 years in the game. Their value offshore will only increase and the money will still be there.
“There is the risk of form fluctuation or injury but the pace of the game in Europe tends to be slower with the rugby often more physical. But we do try to give then the whole picture before they make a decision.”
Many players in New Zealand have absorbed that message – that the richness of a career is not exclusively defined by dollars earned. That whole emotional reward and contentment is starting to be better appreciated by a wider range of players.
Who knows, maybe an increasing number of young men are able to project their thoughts 30 years into the future and don’t like the idea that they will be sitting on the couch, surrounded by the trappings of their wealth, but just that little bit sad that they didn’t achieve all they could have in the international game.
For those who have walked away from New Zealand when there has been good rugby left in their legs, there is a hole within them that cannot be filled.
Many have said they are leaving New Zealand with no regrets and no doubt they truly believe it when they say it. But a few months in their foreign land and it sinks in – they start to feel they have done the wrong thing.
WE TRY TO PRESENT THE PLAYERS WITH A BALANCED VIEW. WE TAKE THE VIEW THAT SOMEONE WHO IS 25 OR 26, COULD POTENTIALLY HAVE ANOTHER 10 YEARS IN THE GAME. THEIR VALUE OFFSHORE WILL ONLY INCREASE AND THE MONEY WILL STILL BE THERE.’ CHRIS LENDRUM
Israel Dagg came close to being one of those men who could have burdened himself with regret. When he was dropped from the All Blacks 2015 World Cup squad his first instinct was to pack it all in – to give up on New Zealand and head offshore where he could forget the hurt and at least make his family rich in his misery.
But he stopped to think it through and decided he didn’t want to go like that. He would rather hang around for two more years, try to recover his All Blacks spot and then leave, with his head held high and as the man who chose to leave on his terms.
“I was going to make some rash decisions and leave to get away from it,” he says of that period in late 2015. “But I took the time to breathe.
“It wasn’t about trying to prove anyone wrong or prove anything to anyone else. I just had to go out there and find why I play this game...and I play this game because I love it. I have fun and I have fun expressing myself, representing my family, my country and the Crusaders.”
By midway through 2016 he was back in the All Blacks and playing better than he ever had, and by the end of the year he was such an established presence on the right wing that All Blacks coach Steve Hansen made it clear that Dagg was a certainty to stay there and go to the World Cup if he carried on playing as well as he did.
That changed the equation again for Dagg. He was certain he was going to be leaving New Zealand after the British and Irish Lions tour. He was talking to Leinster and Toulon. Having done what he set out to do in late 2015 and given himself a chance to leave on his terms, he suddenly had to think it all through again.
He had surpassed all expectations he had set for himself and from not being sure he was good enough to reclaim a test place, he was now being talked about as a World Cup certainty.
A test career he thought might have been over was very much alive and, unbelievably, he had to realistically consider having missed out on 2015 – not by choice – how he would feel if he walked away from the 2019 event? By March, he announced he was staying for another two years.
“There’s no doubt that there were some attractive offers to consider,” Dagg said. “At the end of the day, I love my life here in New Zealand with my family, friends and teammates, and I’m not ready to give that up.
“I still feel blessed every time I pull on the jersey for the All Blacks, Crusaders or Magpies, so I consider it an honour to be able to keep working hard to earn that right for the next three years.”
Who knows what Dagg’s future will look like post 2019, but by then, almost without doubt, he’ll be able to say he’s given test football an honest crack.
He’ll be able to say, with or without a second World Cup winner’s medal, that he hung around for long enough to be sure that he gave himself an opportunity to be a great All Black.
Not all of his peers can say the same.
I WAS GOING TO MAKE SOME RASH DECISIONS AND LEAVE TO GET AWAY FROM IT. BUT I TOOK THE TIME TO BREATHE.’ ISRAEL DAGG
If there is one man who might be wondering if he got his timing wrong, it is Steven Luatua. He’ll have to wrestle with the thought that he may have made a mistake in late February this year by agreeing to join Bristol after Super Rugby finishes.
It has the potential to be a decision that comes back to haunt him more than he realises. The reason for that is that he’s playing better rugby than he ever has and is almost certainly going to be involved with the All Blacks against the British & Irish Lions.
He’s playing well enough to convince everyone that he could become the longterm All Black he’s always dreamed of being. He’s playing well enough for everyone to wonder whether he shouldn’t try to wriggle out of the deal and see if he can sign on for longer in New Zealand.
To understand why he decided to leave, the clock has to be wound back to June last year.
Luatua, having stormed into the All Blacks in 2013 on the back of a huge campaign with the Blues, fell hard and far in the following two years.
In 2014 he wasn’t fit enough to impose himself and he missed nearly all of the next year because of injury. He came into 2016 with a big point to prove but while he improved, he was still some way of recapturing the form he had shown in his rookie season.
When he didn’t make the All Blacks squad for the June tests against Wales, he might have legitimately wondered then if he was ever going to find a way back to test football and whether he might be better off drawing a line under his international aspirations and think more about setting himself up financially.
No doubt that thought crept into his mind, and no doubt it was put on hold when he produced some compelling form in the last games of Super Rugby and in the ITM Cup, deservedly earning an All Blacks recall for the end of year tour.
“We felt we had to have another look at him,” said Hansen when he announced the squad. And when Luatua was named in the side to play Italy, he was sent out there with these words from Hansen. “My big encouragement is for him to be physical. If he can be really physical and show us that he can do that job at this level of rugby then I’m not too worried about where he can play.
“He can play No 6, No 8 and probably lock off the bench if we needed him to. We don’t have a designated position for him, but for this side the best slot for him was No 8. We need some real physicality from him.”
Luatua produced enough in Rome to satisfy Hansen’s request – which partly alluded to the knowledge that the selectors were aware that incumbent blindside Jerome Kaino can’t last for ever.
The veteran All Black is 34 and his body has been through plenty. Maybe he has another six months left in the top flight, maybe a year. Maybe Kaino can push on to the next World Cup but the All Black have to be prepared for the worst and know they need another bruising, highly physical, intimidating blindside in their mix.
His own form rising and doubt over the longevity of the incumbent – it seemed the
IF I STAYED IN NEW ZEALAND THEN I RECKON I COULD HAVE LIVED A COMFORTABLE LIFE. BUT ONE OF MY GOALS GROWING UP WAS ALWAYS TO GET MUM AND DAD A HOUSE. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT BUT THESE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, BEING A BIT OLDER, I HAVE REALISED IT WASN’T JUST MUM AND DAD THAT SACRIFICED.’ STEVEN LUATUA
MY BIG ENCOURAGEMENT IS FOR HIM TO BE PHYSICAL. IF HE CAN BE REALLY PHYSICAL AND SHOW US THAT HE CAN DO THAT JOB AT THIS LEVEL OF RUGBY THEN I’M NOT TOO WORRIED ABOUT WHERE HE CAN PLAY.’ STEVE HANSEN
reasons for Luatua to stay in February were compelling. He admits that he thought long and hard about whether he could become a long-term All Black.
“Yep, through a lot of hard work I could have forced myself into the All Blacks squad,” he says. “There is a lot of depth in our position. It was a tough one.”
But he didn’t want to back himself. He decided he was too much of a long shot and Bristol had put enormous money on the table. He saw a decision to stay in New Zealand as being selfish; he would be, he reasoned, putting his sporting ambition ahead of the practical needs of his family.
“If I stayed in New Zealand then I reckon I could have lived a comfortable life,” says Luatua. “But one of my goals growing up was always to get Mum and Dad a house. I have been able to do that but these last couple of years, being a bit older, I have realised it wasn’t just Mum and Dad that sacrificed.
“My sisters and brothers did too. I am living a good life and will be [ here in New Zealand] if I perform to a high standard. But just looking at how I can help my sisters and brother out that much more helped me make the decision.
“I think back to the small things when I was a kid...not being able to go to camp because I couldn’t afford it. But if my niece and nephew want to do that and my daughter wants to do that, then no problem. Easy, I can fix that up and they don’t have to miss out and they can pursue things in life that I missed out on.
“I turned out pretty okay being able to do what I do, but I have my eye on the next generation and that way they don’t have to give back to their parents in the same way.”
His reasoning was sound even if others might feel he should have been selfish and put his sporting needs first. But in the weeks after he signed the deal several things happened.
His form was the real game changer. He really started to play well for the Blues and deliver that physical edge the All Blacks selectors were looking for. He was back to his best – better than his best in fact – and if he wasn’t the most impressive blindside in the country in the first segment of Super Rugby then it could have only been just.
Luatua and Liam Squire jumped ahead of the likes of Elliot Dixon and Brad Shields in the pecking order to be the heir to Kaino’s throne. And talking of Kaino and Squire – that was the other big change that made Luatua’s decision appear to be the wrong one.
Kaino was forced to have knee surgery in late April and put himself in doubt for the Lions series. Then Kieran Read broke his thumb a week later and, who would believe it, one week after that, on the same ground against the same opponents, Squire would suffer the same injury.
It was a prime example of how quickly and easily fortunes can change and why players have to think so carefully before they commit their future to an offshore club.
The final change for Luatua was the confirmation in early May that Bristol had been relegated. It was the perfect storm and maybe, just maybe, if he had been able to see three months into the future, Luatua would never have signed with Bristol.
There’s always the prospect of Luatua returning to New Zealand when his contract at Bristol finishes and he could give the international game another crack.
It’s a long shot, though. Kaino, who went to Japan in 2012 and 2013, is still the only All Black to have managed an overseas stint and resumed a test career at the end of it.
He managed it because his time in Japan was more like a sabbatical than anything else. He trained hard and didn’t play much, allowing him to rebuild a broken body and find a renewed desire for the All Blacks.
Luatua will be 26, close to 27 when his contract expires and by then, who knows what talent New Zealand will have unearthed at blindside.
The other thing is, New Zealand Rugby don’t make it financially easy for players to return. The money on offer for a re-entry player is usually low until they prove their worth all over again.
More likely Luatua will be in high demand in Europe and sign on for more.
His decision to leave is one that has disappointed both the Blues and All Blacks, but such is the dynamism of New Zealand rugby, no departure can be mourned for long.
There are still plenty of good players with big decisions to make and top of that list are Ryan Crotty and Malakai Fekitoa.
Crotty, like Dagg, was left out of the 2015 World Cup squad and had that same initial reaction of thinking about leaving. But just like Dagg, he thought it through and decided he had to stay.
“I guess the main thing about sticking around was that I really wanted to test myself and see what I was made of,” he says. “I know how high pressure the All Blacks is and how intense test rugby and this environment is. The real test for me was that I had played a few games here and there but could I play a whole season
I GUESS THE MAIN THING ABOUT STICKING AROUND WAS THAT I REALLY WANTED TO TEST MYSELF AND SEE WHAT I WAS MADE OF.’ RYAN CROTTY
I DON’T HAVE A TIME FRAME. I LET MY MANAGEMENT TEAM DO ALL THE TALKING BEHIND THE SCENES. FOR ME, IT’S ABOUT GETTING MY GAME RIGHT AND ENJOYING MY RUGBY.’ MALAKAI FEKITOA
at international level and perform at a high level? I didn’t know if I could, if I was good enough to do that, but I believed if I had the opportunity I would do everything I could.”
The similarities with Dagg didn’t end there. Crotty also fulfilled his goal, probably surpassed it, and ended the season as the incumbent second-five. He developed way beyond expectation and there are many who feel he should hold his place even with Sonny Bill Williams back from injury.
But Crotty has to weigh up what his All Blacks future genuinely looks like over the next few years and whether he can continue to be a regular starter. He’s been in and out of the squad before and that won’t cut it for him again, not with European clubs banging on the door to sign him. He has a few months left to decide what he’s going to do and how much test rugby he sees will have a major bearing on what decision he makes.
He’s 29, improving with every test he plays and must be a strong contender to go through to the next World Cup. But it’s a crowded area with Williams, George Moala, Anton Lienert-Brown, Seta Tamanivalu and Rieko Ioane all vying for a berth.
That list might also include Fekitoa who has to determine where he fits in before he commits his future. He’s off contract at the end of the year and has sent a few mixed messages about his plans.
“I don’t have a time frame,” he said recently. “I let my management team do all the talking behind the scenes. For me, it’s about getting my game right and enjoying my rugby. I can’t say [whether I will stay]. They [NZR] have been around supporting me for a few years now, but like I said, I don’t do any talking.”
The decision on what to do next will be hard for both Crotty and Fekitoa. They could both become good, established All Blacks over the next two year or just as easily not even make the squad.
Timing is indeed everything.