Bigger bucks keep prop Carl Hayman up north

BY MARC HINTON

The New Zealand Rugby Union have taken a fatalistic approach to the news they've lost out in their bid to lure the game's best tighthead prop, Carl Hayman, back for next year's World Cup.

Hayman has confirmed he is signing on for Toulon in a multi-million dollar two-year deal that will now see him play out his career in the northern hemisphere.

The NZRU had tabled what they believed to be a competitive deal to lure Hayman back, but had not been able to match the dollars on offer from the mega-rich Toulon club. Hayman, who is playing with Newcastle, will join the big-spending French club when his current deal ends in May.

"We tried hard," NZRU chief executive Steve Tew told Radio Sport today. "We were very keen get Carl back to New Zealand if that was his desire.

"But we've always lived within our means in this area. Player retention and getting guys back from Europe is important to us but not at any cost."

Tew said the NZRU's offer to Hayman had been as good as they could put together given the contributing factors.

"We made what we believed to be a very competitive offer to Carl if he took into account what else we have to offer which is an outstanding rugby environment, an opportunity to play for his country and if good enough to play in another World Cup.

"He weighed that up and made a decision based more on his financial future and we respect that."

Hayman told the NZ Herald he "could see the positives and negatives on both sides. In the end, it came down to a financial and lifestyle move".

The 30-year-old, who played 45 tests for the All Blacks before heading to Newcastle following the 2007 World Cup, wants to return to New Zealand eventually to raise a family and set himself up on a dairy farm in the Taranaki.

He believes this move is the best way to achieve that goal.

Tew confirmed that setting Hayman up on a farm had never been part of the NZRU's offer, despite reports suggesting otherwise.

"There's never been a farm in our mix," said Tew. "What we've always said to Carl is we want him back, he's an outstanding world-class player… and this is what we can offer. If you want to come back we'd love to have you."

Tew also called for some perspective on Hayman's decision which had been a rare defeat for the NZRU among its targeted players.

"We've been quite successful in player retention since the last World Cup, and we're always going miss out on some - Carl's one of them.

"We lost Carl two years ago, and we were trying get him back," added Tew. "We've always said if it's a straight financial decision for a player then we will not compete. We simply don't have the economies of scale or strength of currency to be able to do so."

Tew also said Hayman's was not the sort of decision restricted to rugby and was typical of the choice being made by many of the million Kiwis who were now living offshore.

Tew also politely declined an offer from Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal to make Hayman available for the All Blacks.

There was no chance, he added, of a review of the decision not to pick All Blacks from offshore.

"What would the Super 14 look like for New Zealand and our teams if we had our top 10 international players all playing in Europe? We just don't think it works."

And Tew admitted such offers from French clubs also had to be taken with a pinch of salt.

"We've heard French clubs offer players back to countries in the past, and the reality is that's not quite as straightforward as it sounds. We just don't think it makes any sense right now to be picking players from outside of New Zealand to play for the All Blacks."

Tew also shrugged off suggestions that player retention costs were crippling the NZRU, with a record financial loss due to be announced at the upcoming annual meeting.

He said the figure spent on player payments was set by the collective bargaining agreement – currently 36 percent of gross revenue – and that a high number of long-term injuries to All Blacks last year had effectively blown that out.

"Effectively we had to pay two lots of salaries, and there was a little bit of pressure on the budget last year but over time it will right itself."

At least they now don't have Hayman's massive pay-packet to worry about.

- © Fairfax NZ News