Agent Alcock rugby’s main money man
He’s one of the most influential figures in New Zealand rugby yet keeps a remarkably low profile, and that’s just how Warren Alcock likes it, as reports.
arren Alcock spends his days, as he succinctly puts it, mostly arguing about money; brokering deals for some of rugby’s biggest stars.
Deliberately steering clear of the media and a public profile, he has undoubtedly been a pioneer in sports management in New Zealand. And he does it from Dunedin.
The New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association’s first accredited agent has represented more than 80 All Blacks, including such greats as Richie McCaw and Dan Carter.
He’s described by New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew as probably the most influential player agent in the country.
Tew says he has enormous respect for Alcock, who played a pivotal role in the sport’s “crunch point”, when rugby turned professional in 1995, and that important role has continued through to today.
“More than that, he’s someone who cares about the game. He understands its role in New Zealand, its role in communities. He always has the players’ best interests.
“The key thing about Warren is he’s incredibly honest . . . very upfront, calm and considered. He takes time to consider matters. In the end, he’s a man of his word.”
Down- to- earth and affable, Alcock, 52, might prefer to keep a low profile but his reputation within professional rugby circles — and the wider sporting world — is huge.
In 2010, he featured at No 18 in the Herald list of the 25 biggest power brokers in New Zealand sport.
A year later, he was sixth in NZ Rugby World magazine’s 50 most influential men, behind Carter, McCaw, New Zealand Rugby Players Association boss Rob Nichol, Tew and then All Blacks coach Graham Henry.
Herald rugby writer Gregor Paul noted he was recognised as a tough negotiator whose ability to clinch “the big deal” was legendary.
In 2015, he was named 24th in the New Zealand Lawyer Power List, which ranks the country’s leading and most influential lawyers.
When it came to breaking into the virtually non- existent sports management industry, Alcock reckons it was a matter of perfect timing. He was a young lawyer playing club rugby alongside — or, as he puts it, getting run over by — the likes of Otago stalwarts Arran Pene, Jamie Joseph and Josh Kronfeld when rugby turned professional.
“Suddenly all these contracts were flying around . . . it was like, ‘ Hey Warren, we need a lawyer’,” he recalls. “It was right time, right place. Since those early days, I have just kept picking up clients around the country. It got to the point where I decided I needed to do it full- time.”
Kronfeld, his first big client, is now also his brother- in- law, married to his wife Sarah’s twin sister.
Most recently, Alcock was responsible for the contract negotiations that saw Ben Smith re- sign with the Highlanders and All
“Unfortunately, it’s just not possible to fulfil all the requests. The central part of my role is to manage him to ensure that he has sufficient time for his family, to undertake his work commitments to have a livelihood, fulfil his selected charity roles and his ceremonial duties and then, after all that, he may have some time to do additional appearances but often there isn’t time.
“Willie and I probably talk on average every second day and the relationship has worked well. I’ve learnt a lot from Willie, he is a pretty special bloke.” imilarly, Alcock enjoys his dealings with rugby players: “99.9% of the players I deal with are very similar to me. We enjoy rugby and sport, we enjoy New Zealand and . . . we enjoy a beer.
“Most of them are just good Kiwi blokes. I find them pretty down- toearth. That’s the side of them I see.
“I would describe Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Kieran Read and most of them as very down- to- earth guys.”
Alcock, who negotiated McCaw’s playing contracts, recalls their first meeting when McCaw was one or two years out of Otago Boys’ High School. He was aware who he was, having coached Dunedin Mako Colts, which played Otago Boys’ first XV.
“He had rung me about catching up . . . He said he had a contract from Canterbury he’d been asked to sign and didn’t know what to do.
“I gave him advice. We talked about how it worked. He wasn’t the Richie McCaw of now, naturally, [ but] you could tell he had a presence about him . . . confident, bright and easygoing.
“You could have a discussion with him about different aspects of a contract and the surrounding issues and he clearly understood them and could engage in a good debate about those issues.
“I don’t think anyone could have predicted he was going to be as good as he was, as legendary as he became.
“That is one of the mysteries of this industry, picking which players will convert good schoolboy form into becoming a professional rugby player.”
Carter is an example of that; when Alcock first met him, he was the second- choice No 10 in the New Zealand under- 20 team.
“Our first meeting consisted of me and my colleague Lou doing all the talking. I think he said hello and goodbye . . . he listened though.
“I have learnt with him over the years that he listens intently and he picks things up and, when he speaks, he confines himself to the issues.”
While reluctant to talk about recent headlines, such as Carter’s drink- driving charge and Aaron Smith’s Christchurch Airport incident, Alcock says he is “always in the player’s corner”, whether in good or bad times.
“It’s usually at these times they need you the most. The one thing I have found about our best players is that they are, despite their profile, still very grounded people and, yes, they too make mistakes like us all.”
A common theme is good players, such as McCaw and Carter, often have good family support and, for Alcock, the biggest highlight is meeting a young player with his parents for the first time.