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Players as young as 15 were being targeted by European rugby clubs of both codes, which was causing concern for New Zealand Rugby [NZR], the board’s chief executive Steve Tew has said.
New Zealand rugby’s playing stocks have always been the target of overseas clubs since rugby turned professional in 1995, but principally for players heading towards the end of their careers.
NZR, however, have lost several players in the last 12 months, such as Aaron Cruden, Charlie Faumuina and Lima Sopoaga, all of whom were considered still in their prime and Tew said there had been increased interest in younger players.
“We have been concerned about our player stocks for some time, particularly the French market, but there’s a bit going on in England and Japan as well,” Tew told The Telegraph .
“There’s been more heat than there has ever been... clubs are increasingly talking to agents about players at a much younger age.
“It is teenagers, sometimes 15-year-olds, being approached about signing by clubs in both union and league. That’s scary. We have to be very careful.”
Tew thought the change of World Rugby’s eligibility rules in 2020, which would require a player to reside in a country for five years before being able to be selected for the national team, was having an effect now.
Currently players who have not played for their country of birth can switch to another if they have been resident for three years.
New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew believes Northern Hemisphere clubs are poaching their young players (Getty) “With the five-year eligibility rule coming in that may or may not help,” Tew added. “We may see them target younger players even earlier and try to qualify them for the five years.
“What we are seeing at the moment is younger players being offered longer contracts.
“Unfortunately, it is getting younger and younger to a point we are going to have sit down to make sure we are not talking to young men before they are ready to make those type of decisions.”
Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the yearsShow all 38 1 /38Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1977 | NZ Jnrs 9 Lions 19 | Mudmen. Lions forwards Allan Martin, Phil Orr, Moss Keane, and Fran Cotton are covered head-to-toe in the Wellington mud as they wait for in a line-out at Athletic Park. The weather would greatly add to the challenge faced by the tourists, with unusually high rainfall for the entirety of the three months invariably falling in the towns where the Lions had their twenty-five games, adding to the siege mentality engendered by the grueling schedule and largely limiting the chances of their quick-fire backs to express their creativity
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1993 | 1st Test: NZ 20 Lions 18 | Lions captain Gavin Hastings faces down the Haka in a manner that would be impossible today, before the opening test match at Christchurch
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1971 | 2nd Test: NZ 22 Lions 12 | Gareth Edwards, under pressure from Sid Going and Ian Kirkpatrick, dive-passes to half-back partner Barry John
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 2005 | 3rd Test: NZ 38 Lions 19 | Lions prop Graham Rowntree sports a bloodied ear during another heavy defeat in the final test
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1993 | 3rd Test: NZ 30 Lions 13 | Gavin Hastings and Rory Underwood are devastated after the heavy loss in the deciding test
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 2005 1st Test: NZ 21 Lions 3 | Captain Brian O'Driscoll in agony as he is attended by team doctor James Robson after the infamous spear tackle by opposite captain Tana Umaga, and Keven Mealamu
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1993 | Waikato 38 Lions 10 | Current Lions head coach Warren Gatland scrums down for Waikato during a famous victory for the North Island club in the midweek before the deciding final test match. The hooker also scored a try
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1977 | North Auckland 7 Lions 18 | Ian McGeechan, one of the greatest figures in the history of the Lions as a player and a coach, crosses for a try at Okara Park, Whangarei
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1983 | Willie John McBride – perhaps the greatest figure in Lions history after five tours as a player including victories in New Zealand and South Africa - talks to the press after a training session in his tour manager role, as some local school girls looking on
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1993 | 3rd Test: NZ 30 Lions 13 | Jon Preston rounds full back Hastings to score one of the All Blacks three tries
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1993 | 1st Test: NZ 20 Lions 18 | Lions scrum-half Dewi Morris can not believe that Australian referee Brian Kinsey has awarded the All Blacks the penalty in the dying moments that Grant Fix would duly kick to win the game
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1993 | 2nd Test: NZ 7 Lion 20 | Rory Underwood dives over for the Lions only try of the game as they secure a victory to level the series
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1993 | 2nd Test: NZ 7 Lion 20 | Nick Popplewell charges through the All Black defence, with a young Martin Johnson in support
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1971 | Pre-departure training session in Eastbourne | 2017 tour manager John Spencer (right) looks on with Gerald Davies as David Duckham passes the ball
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1983 | 3rd Test: NZ 15 Lions 8 | All Black forwards Andy Haden and Murray Mexted battle the Lions in the wet at Dunedin's Carisbrook
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1993 | 2nd Test: NZ 7 Lion 20 | Captain Gavin Hastings carrying the team mascot, followed by Brian Moore, as he runs out for the second test at Wellington
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1977 | Training session at Westport | Hooker Bobby Windsor practices his line-out throwing surrounded by hordes of school children during practice before the game against West Coast-Buller
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1977 | 4th Test: NZ 10 Lions 9 | Tony Neary runs out for the Lions, followed by Bill Beaumont and Graham Price, at Auckland's Eden Park, with an opportunity to tie the series with a victory
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1977 | 4th Test: NZ 10 Lions 9 | Lions captain Phil Bennett is swamped by All Blacks tacklers in the final test, a suitable illustration of the pressure he was under both on and off the field during this tour. Despite all the obstacles they faced and eventually losing 3-1, the Lions came extremely close to winning this series. They lost the first test through an opportunist breakaway try, won the second, dominated forward possession in the third whilst conspiring to lose, and went down by just a single point in the final game
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1983 | 4th Test: NZ 38 Lions 6 | Scrum-half David Loveridge breaks with plenty of teammates in support
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1983 | 4th Test: NZ 38 Lions 6 | [l-r] Geoff Old, Andy Haden, and Murray Mexted celebrate the All Blacks 4-0 series victory
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1977 | 2nd Test: NZ 9 Lions 13 | Bill Beaumont is surrounded by All Blacks as he scrambles for the ball at Lancaster Park
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 2005 | Prince William watches a training session with tour manager Bill Beaumont before the second test.
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1983 | 2nd Test: NZ 9 Lions 0 | Fly half Wayne Smith, currently assistant coach of the All Blacks, leaves David Irwin floundering during the second test at Wellington
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 2005 | Otago 19 Lions 13 | Shane Williams and his Lions teammates before kick-off in Dunedin
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 2005 | 2nd Test: NZ 48 Lions 18 | Jason Robinson is smashed backwards by Dan Carter and an All Black teammate
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1983 | 4th Test: NZ 38 Lions 6 | Winger Stu Wilson on the way to scoring the first try of his hat-trick - breaking Ian Kirkpatrick's record for test tries in the process - in the emphatic All Black victory in the final test
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 2005 | 3rd Test: NZ 38 Lions 19 | Rico Gear scores the final try of the series. Remarkably it is the twelfth in the three games for the home side
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1983 | Stash! Ireland fly-half Ollie Campbell shows off his Bukta kit bag prior to departure in 1983
Colorsport / Colin Elsey
Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1977 | 2nd Test: NZ 9 Lions 13 | Prop Graham Price – who won a record 12 caps in succession for the Lions, playing in every game across three tours - falls to the ground under the feet and fists of opposing front row Billy Bush as tempers flare in Christchurch. The Lions won the game 13-9 to bring the series level
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1977 | 2nd Test: NZ 9 Lions 13 | Prop Graham Price – who won a record 12 caps in succession for the Lions, playing in every game across three tours - falls to the ground under the feet and fists of opposing front row Billy Bush as tempers flare in Christchurch. The Lions won the game 13-9 to bring the series level
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1977 | Lions 45 West Coast-Buller 0 | Lions players huddle under towels in the team bus as there were no changing rooms at the ground to shower in after the wet and muddy game at Westport
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1971 | 4th Test: NZ 13 Lions 13 | Peter Whiting stands over Lions lock Gordon Brown after punching him to the ground in the first line-out of the game
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1971 | 4th Test: NZ 13 Lions 13 | The captains, Colin Meads of the All Blacks and John Dawes of the Lions, lead their teams out for the final test at Auckland's Eden Park, with the Lions leading the series 2-1
Colorsport / Peter Bush
Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 2005 | 3rd Test: NZ 38 Lions 19 | The All Blacks celebrate – the late Jerry Collins in a Lions jersey - with the series trophy after completing the heaviest whitewash over the Lions in their history
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1993 | The Lions squad gather in their blazers prior to departure
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 2005 | 2nd Test: NZ 48 Lions 18 | Tempers flare during the Lions' heavy defeat in Wellington
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Lions tours to New Zealand: the most iconic photos through the years 1971 | 4th Test: NZ 13 Lions 13 | Lions captain John Dawes, alongside tour manager Doug Smith, addresses the crowd after securing the series victory with a 13-all draw. It was the Lions' first overall triumph in New Zealand after seven attempts, and remains the sole victorious tour; in the four subsequent trips they have won only two of the fourteen tests played
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Domestically, NZR have long been competing for talent with rugby league – particularly in its largest city Auckland – and were involved in a recent tug-of-war with rugby league’s New Zealand Warriors over fullback Etene Nanai-Seturo.
The 18-year-old was selected for the All Blacks Sevens team for the Sydney leg of the World Sevens Series earlier this month despite having signed a five-year contract with the Warriors.
Nanai-Seturo signed the contract as a 15-year-old.
NZR reached a confidential agreement with the Warriors earlier this month for his release.
Reuters
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