High dollar keeping rugby players at home

Source: ONE News
New Zealand rugby fans have been frustrated in the last decade by star players heading overseas to chase big money.
But the situation may be changing - and it is not just through the work of the New Zealand Rugby Union.
Instead, currency markets and global economic factors are playing a big role in stifling player movement.
Former All Black Justin Marshall went to England in the mid-2000s when the exchange rate was around three to one.
Today the kiwi is hovering around 52 pence against the British pound and just under 60 euro cents.
That means those contracts which used to triple when converted back to NZD now do not even double.
Player agent and former All Black Craig Innes says money is a big factor when it comes to negotiations.
"When we sit down with any player and they're looking at the foreign markets we sit down and compare everything. Often there's budgets involved and salary caps so it's about getting the best we can," he said.
Former All Black captain Taine Randall went to England when 36 pence bought a kiwi dollar.
He says doing the simple maths to convert the exchange rate was very important.
"If you were to compare when I went over there to what it is now, the contract price would be a third less. In terms of making a decision that's a big, big factor," Randall told AMP Business.
Innes believes playing out a career in the UK is nowhere near as lucrative as it used to be, especially with tax rates and costs of living being considerably higher than New Zealand.
But France, where All Black Dan Carter had his sabbatical, is still considered attractive Innes says, particularly for lifestyle factors.
"There's pretty reasonable tax breaks in France if you're a married man living in France with children, which our guys tend to be when they're looking at heading overseas," he said.
And for superstar players like Carter or Richie McCaw, the agent says the demand is still huge from the UK and clubs there will use image rights, pension schemes and other sweeteners to make it work at almost any cost.
But for the middle tier of Super Rugby players, the smaller deals sitting on the table mean currency is a much bigger factor in deciding whether to stay or go.
Favourable cross rates with countries like Australia and Japan suggest staying closer to home may now be a more popular better option.
Hurricanes' Willie Ripia and David Smith both went to the Perth-based Western Force recently and Blues' lock James King is off to join the Melbourne Rebels for 2012.
Randall says following the traditional European OE route now means a player's income is going to be a third less than what they might get by going to Asia.
"I think that's going to influence the decisions of our rugby players in terms of one, where they go overseas and two, if they go overseas at all".
And that may already be happening - an increasing number of popular All Blacks like Piri Weepu and Corey Jane have signed on to stay in New Zealand despite offers from overseas.
Source http://tvnz.co.nz/