Rugby uncertainty led to Manawatu player loss

Manawatu's loss of a second key player has been blamed on the uncertainty surrounding the New Zealand rugby's provincial competitions make up.

Kurt Baker, a New Zealand Sevens rep, today confirmed he will join Manawatu team-mate Andre Taylor in the Taranaki next year, citing the future security.

Neither player knew the other had signed with Taranaki with Baker saying he signed late last month before the New Zealand Rugby Union announced that Manawatu had retained its place in the Air New Zealand Cup for 2010.

"Mainly it was the security of having a two-year contract because Manawatu could only offer me a one-year one because of the first division thing," he said.

"I reckon it was probably one of the toughest decisions that I've had to make. Manawatu gave me the opportunity to play the last year and year before and gave me all the stuff through the academy."

Baker said money hadn't come into the equation.

"The main reason I was looking was for me to go further, I thought I needed to be somewhere else, and it's nothing against Manawatu."

Leaving the union that gave him his start in provincial rugby isn't always a good look, but he said the Manawatu players he'd spoken to had been supportive.

"I talked to a few of them and they were pretty good; they jumped around about it a bit, but they understood."

Turbos coach Dave Rennie said the uncertainty about Manawatu's future had been the issue, but they just had to move on.

"I'm disappointed he's gone but in the end that's professional footie," Rennie said.

He said it was a shame Baker hadn't been patient and held off for another couple of weeks.

"To his credit he came and sat down with me face to face."

Baker told Manawatu Rugby Union chief executive John Knowles on Monday that the deal had been done.

"It is very disappointing from our point of view," Knowles said.

"There is supposed to be a convention between unions when it comes to talking to each other's players, but in practice it doesn't happen. The commercial reality is the players' agents tout the players around the country.

"We made a verbal offer directly after the season was over," Knowles said. "We were not in a position to do much about it because of the uncertainty."

At the time, the only way Manawatu could have avoided more players leaving would've been to sign them with an out-clause, as they did with star first five-eighth Aaron Cruden.

But the delay in securing the future of the competition was always going to be a risk when players off contract hadn't signed.

- © Fairfax NZ News