Rugby League: Lindsay fears player drain: Britons' talent showcase

THE Great Britain Sevens team captain, Jonathan Davies, said yesterday that he and the squad will use the three-day World Sevens tournament, which starts here today, as a showcase for their talents in the hope of winning lucrative permanent or close-season contracts in Australia, writes Jack Penrose from Sydney.

The British Rugby League chief executive, Maurice Lindsay, is worried about a potential drain of British players to Australia, and spoke of measures to stamp out the possibility.

British clubs face a campaign by four new Winfield Cup clubs to attract players. Two former coaches of British clubs, John Monie (Wigan) and Darryl Van der Velde (Castleford) have been recruiting already, in England and the South Pacific.

British players will be targeted, but the supply of overseas recruits coming to Britain could also dwindle, with perhaps only the big-money signings, like Vai'iga Tuigamala, being attracted by the financial structure of British clubs as yet unaffected by a salary cap rule.

Davies and Co, will have their chance to parade their talent on a world stage this weekend, but it may not be too beneficial in the long run for their fellow players if they take the hoped-for Aussie dollar. There have been international transfer bans in the past, and another could be looming.