Gingg ahead

There is a massive area that . . . draws on big farming communities. You get some good kids coming out of there who are brought up pretty tough.’ JEREMY COTTER

‘‘We are a small union . . . a young fellow can shine in that environment where he would get gobbled up somewhere else potentially or not even see light of day.’’

It has been a rapid rise for Manawatu, who did not have a Super Rugby player between 2001 and 2006.

But Manawatu is not alone in its renaissance.

Many provinces have recovered from the initial years of professional rugby which sucked talent from the regions towards the Super Rugby centres.

Two major changes from New Zealand Rugby have aided that resurgence.

The first came in 2006 with the addition of Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu, Taranaki and Tasman to the top flight of provincial rugby.

Knowles admitted if Manawatu were still battling in the old NPC second division, they would not have the same stock of talent to hang their hat on.

‘‘If we were still in Heartland Rugby, we won’t be producing the players out of this province like we do. They would move away a lot earlier. Players might still shine, but they won’t be playing their footy here.’’

But more significantly was the change to Super Rugby contracting in 2010.

It saw the scrapping of the old system where franchises had first dibs on players within their catchment to the direct Super Rugby contracting model that we see now which allows them to look anywhere in the country.

It opened the door for players to change their Super Rugby allegiance without leaving their provincial home – under the old system, Cruden’s move from the Hurricanes to the Chiefs in 2011 would have required him to leave Manawatu and sign on with a province within the Chiefs’ region.

Now the All Blacks squad reflects the provincial unions’ growth.

In 2005, the All Blacks used 29 players over the three tests against the British and Irish Lions. Of them, 26 came from the big five provinces (Auckland, Waikato, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago).

But the All Blacks squad this year for the Lions tour had a very different make-up with 28 players used and just 15 coming from the big five provinces.

‘‘I think it is a reflection of the strength of the system that has been built throughout the country,’’ New Zealand Rugby’s head of provincial rugby Steve Lancaster said.