Harlequins Join Forces with the All Blacks

New Zealand Rugby has unveiled a co-operation agreement with English club Harlequins which they say will benefit both organisations on and off the field.

"This is new territory for New Zealand Rugby and this unique relationship will open some useful connections in that part of the world," New Zealand Rugby Chief Executive Steve Tew in a statement.

NZR boss Steve Tew believes French clubs are 'player-banking'
"With its strong ex-pat community, London is of key strategic importance to New Zealand Rugby, and when you factor in our shared relationship with Adidas, this cooperation agreement is a very natural fit.

"This alignment will create significant opportunities for both sides, with players, coaches and staff able to learn from different environments with different people, challenges and cultures."

The agreement will see NZR and Harlequins cooperate on a number of projects in relation to playing and coaching resources, team training and commercial leverage opportunities.

"The All Blacks are the bench mark of excellence for all teams, so to be able to align with them both on and off the pitch will be of significant benefit to the club," Harlequins chief executive David Ellis said.

I don't know what they learn from Quin's, bit sounds good to me.

Stuff also reporting that the deal will allow AB'S to play for Quin's and still get selected.

Will be a good deal if Quins can send a corresponding numbers of english players to NZ. Nick Auterac would make an impact !

At the end of the day an artificial top down control structure will lead to artificially allocating players in order to keep control. Some will call it innovative, some will call it desperate.

As an exchange programme for Academy's would be good.
To be honest, Quins need all the help they can get at the moment.
I saw a comment on FB for this press release asking if we could exchange Kingston for Hansen - priceless

Like the sound of it, and promising that other management are doing interesting and pro-active things to better the club.

Now can we get a new coaching team?

So, nothing to do with Adidas then ?

No doubt Adiddas is a factor, but moreover, Southern Hemisphere teams can see benefits with a NH base and one especially one central to London/Twickenham/Gatwick and Europe.

Both Nick Evans and Sean Fitzpatrick have strong roles in Harlequins Rugby. but whats more important is what have Quins got in the way of halfbacks that could do with a spell down here to the Blues.

Marcus Smith for the Blues? That could be interesting!

My initial reaction is that both sides should watch out and be careful.  There could be a sting in the execution.  Nothing ever remains static or indeed exclusive in a Professional game where everyone is chasing excellence and mucho money.

So if Harlequins think they're going to be the only boys with this kind of deal...well, it might last a year or two but ways will be found for the fun to be spread around.

But if that happens then what? - A continuous influx of rising New Zealand stars coming in to fill the ranks of English sides?  So where does that leave Super Rugby in SH?  It needs its own continuous line of new talent coming through but will the money opportunities of 'hiring out' players become too tempting to honestly control the numbers tripping up North?

And England, looking for places for their own young International hopefuls.  The lessons of French rugby are there to be learned if indigenous players wait in queues as the juicier SH prospects get the game time.

I just think 'caution' should be the operative word all round - like I say, these agreements don't remain 'exclusive' too long in a dog eat dog professional rugby world.

I would also imagine that plenty of Kiwi sabbatical players (usually the more experienced ones) will want to venture to the more lucrative French league or Japan to top up pensions.
Whatever deal is in place it also would have to fit within the salary cap - and presumably be a player in a position of weakness.

I guess from the Kiwi perspective this will still allow them to maintain control of the centrally contracted players even when they aren't in-country.

If this ends up being an exchange type programme then there are a whole raft of academy level kids that would benefit from time spent in NZ.
I doubt that Marcus Smith would want to leave just as the RFU are showing interest in him - Unless its something that EJ has his blessings on.