Cross-Ditch defector: Mike Harris
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All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has criticised the Wallabies for poaching New Zealand talent and not doing enough to develop their own players.
Hansen fired a broadside at Australian rugby after Saturday's 18-18 Bledisloe Cup draw in Brisbane in which New Zealand-born centre Mike Harris kicked five penalties for Australia.
Hansen says he doesn't begrudge Harris' decision to sign for the Reds when he was rejected by New Zealand Super Rugby franchises nor his choice to later play for Australia but slammed Aussie administrators for allowing it to happen.
"I am pleased he [Harris] has achieved his dream ... what I find frustrating is that Australia is trying to build their game and put more franchises in place but all they are doing is putting franchises in place and stealing our players," said Hansen.
"They should get their own house in order and develop their own. There must be players there good enough.
"Australia has been a breeding ground for gun players for centuries."
Hansen did not mince his words when replying to a question claiming Harris' defection is a breakdown in New Zealand rugby's systems and is clearly annoyed by the Western Force recently signing ex-All Blacks scrum-half Alby Mathewson from the Blues and promising outside back Jason Woodward from Wellington.
"It's called Australia pinching our players. That's the system breakdown. How many you got going to the Force? It's time you actually develop your own players and your own coaches. (It'd) be good," said the All Blacks coach.
On Monday, 24-year-old Harris replied with wry smile and hinted at hypocrisy from the All Blacks, who have selected many Pacific Islanders over the years.
"I was a bit surprised by Steve's comments," Harris told NZ Newswire.
"It's been going on for as long as rugby has been professional, and maybe even further back as well."
Harris qualifies to play for the Wallabies through an Australian-born grandmother, and insists he has no regrets in wearing the gold jersey.
"As an aspiring rugby player you always want to be playing at the next level and if New Zealand had offered me a Super Rugby jersey things might have been different," he said.
Comments
rugby_rockstar says...
LOL, Kiwis are such graceful losers. Still it gives us mortals something to laugh at!
Seriously though, he does have a point in that the australian development scene is not the strongest, BUT The aussies have their own problems with Celts poaching their young players. So. It's all Wales' fault. Case closed your honour, as usual its all down to the bleedin' Welsh.
So much for being serious ;)
Posted 11:28 22nd October 2012
OzinLondon says...
It's interesting that Hansen hasn't thought it necessary to raise the "poaching" issue until Australia unexpectedly managed to halt the AB machine (not for long I'm guessing).
Hansen is fast becoming a very unlikeable character. Poor winner, Poor loser (or drawer as the case may be). Clearly has a chip on the shoulder about Australia (and Deans) for some reason. The ABs is always my second team but he's managing to turn me off.
I'm glad our kiwi brothers are defending Hansen because "the current ABs are all NZ-born". Apparently rugby was only created this year and the ABs past poaching is now irrelevant (or are Kiws now suggesting poaching has never happened in NZ?).
God help the English if they manage to turn the ABs over. Big Steve will have a fit.
Posted 11:16 22nd October 2012
martinmarais78 says...
Sounds like the Sharks here in South Africa. Pouching is the name of the game!
Posted 11:16 22nd October 2012
startledwombat says...
Australia has reaped for decades the benefit of Kiwis being educated in New Zealand and then travelling offshore to ply their trade.
Demographer Bernard Salt has made special mention of it as a factor that helps support the Australian economy. He said the NZ contribution was "indispensable".
Hansen is simply behind the times.
Meantime NZ's Prime Minister bleats about stopping the talent drain and yet NZ continues to slide compared to Australia. Apart from the rugby, family and friends, the landscape, the lack of screech in female voices, there is little reason to return to NZ.
I have been surprised at the number of NZers working here who are involved in training, education, coaching, etc. In his cups, one confided to me: "thing is, if you're a coach or trainer over here, you've got a job for life."
Posted 11:15 22nd October 2012
rorygilmore says...
@ Kiwilad.... I think it's YOUR intellect rather than BokAvenger's that is more likely to qualify you for the dole. Any kiwi who becomes an Australian citizen will qualify for the dole in Australia. And if BokAvenger lives in SA.... then you need to become better informed. The dole does not exist in SA. They have a thing called an Unemployment Insurance fund which only applies if you have contributed to the system, and even then only applies for a very limited number of weeks.
Posted 11:13 22nd October 2012
Oceansnz says...
@ Melkiwi
Well said!
Players that represent the country, primarily should be a product of that countries rugby. That's the first and major point.
Posted 11:11 22nd October 2012
APV1 says...
What an incredible thing for him to say. He's certainly dropped in my estimations now (and that will mean so much to him, I know).
I think, as NZ Coach, he's in an ideal position to comment of the NZ development of players and the fact that so many leave. But to use such inflamatory expressions, such as "stealing our players" and "They should get their own house in order and develop their own." is outrageous!
NZ rugby is struggling financially - that's no secret. There are clubs which need asistance, Cantabury was devastated and needs rebuilding (with rugby being one part of that), there was the financial issue about travelling to the RWC, and now there's a sponsor on the hallowed shirt. Who's House needs to be put in order, Steve?
If the opportunities, rewards (financial and otherwise) and incentives were there, the players wouldn't move. But something is attracting them / forcing them overseas. Some go to Oz, some elsewhere. I've even heard a rumour of a couple ending up in England..!
People have complained for years about the eligibility rules, but I think he's going about it in entirely the worng way.
Posted 11:04 22nd October 2012
7ton says...
After the draw with Aus this is the wrong time for Hansen to bring this up. He is starting to sound like a whiner.
If he is so concerned he should have mentioned it after the 22-0 game then it would have sounded constructive
Posted 10:52 22nd October 2012
heathy says...
First of all I think Hansen is a good coach and actually he seems like a nice chap (and yes, I have met him). However, this is a comment that is ill advised. Not just because of the content but the timing. Everybody moans about other countries having players that do not originate from that country, yet every country is guilty. It is therefore nothing but a hypocritical argument. So, why it is brought up time and time again, is beyond me. For the record, I'm not a fan of this BUT the rules are the rules. If we don't like them then that is a rule change as opposed to finger pointing at a country when said country has done the exact same thing.
Secondly, IMO a coach should leave the acts of foul play to the officials as opposed to moaning about them to journalists. Do they say "my player was out of order" when their player is the perpetrator? Never. So, you can't have it both ways.
The issue is that all of this has come off the AB's having (by their standards) a poor game. This therefore comes across as sour grapes and is not becoming of a man of his perceived standing. Hansen, you are a good coach and a nice guy so best shut up, eh?
Posted 10:43 22nd October 2012
BokAvenger says...
PATHETIC that a Kiwi is moaning about Aussies putting franchises in place and then stealing NZ players. When SANZAR voted on EP Kings vs Melbourne the Kiwis sided with their sheepboy cohorts to deny SA the chance of adding another franchise. The result is that we've had one of our franchises killed off. I hope the Aussies steal all your players. NZ is just a province of Australia anyway.
Posted 10:41 22nd October 2012
pinky says...
Hansen...get over it mate. As communicated many times before, what about the Kiwi scouts that rape and pillage the rugby talent from Samoa, Fiji & Tonga (even before the get out of the junior ranks!!!). Harris made the right choice and good on him!!!
Posted 10:32 22nd October 2012
BokAvenger says...
@KiwiLad: Sounds like you speak from experience. You also seem really angry about it. We don't have the dole in SA.
Posted 10:24 22nd October 2012
anuthermiddy says...
Hansen, get over it! NZ teams turned him down and in this pro-age he looked to better opportunities and better living conditions haha. I can recall only 1 Aussie who went the other way: Steve Devine, who needed to go offshore due to Gregan's unbreakable reign.
Posted 09:58 22nd October 2012
jamesliveinhope says...
Wasn't Hansen on the Wales coaching team under Graham Henry, the time when the WRU took out press advertising campaigns for Australian and New Zealand born players with Weslh ancestry.
And wasn't he on the coaching staff when the grannygate fiasco hit Shane Howarth.
The debate around national representation will run forever but, if Hansen wants to be taken seriously, he needs to remember his own history.
Does seem the ranting of a man under pressure which is unusual for someone winning.
Posted 09:58 22nd October 2012
Capedcrusader says...
New Zealand have a big problem in that in order to keep the AB's & Super franchises at the top they have to mandate to play for the AB's you MUST play in NZ.
This is the inevitable result although I'm not sure how long ARFU can demand 5 teams in Super rugby. SANZAR need to look at how they are developing their game and if the answer is by buying foreign players then the simple answer is to reduce the no. of franchises or limit the no. of foreigners to not very many.
SH should get on with his job and leave these issues to the idiots who can't market our own game.
Posted 09:45 22nd October 2012
munsterNtahs says...
haha what a hypocrite! Some of the finest All Black players have come from the Pacific Islands! That may not being happening at the moment but who is he to point the finger!
Hansen is quickly establishing himself as the new PdV!
Even Harris has come out and rubbished this bitter idiot.
Does he expect every rugby player in NZ with family connections to another country sit back, pray and hope they get an All Black cap!? No super club in NZ would pick him so he did what anyone would do in trying to benefit his career and life. Hell something like 50,000 kiwis come to Oz looking to improve their life, im sure one or two play rugby. Its within the rules and every nation can benefit from it so i cant understand his and other people's whinging
@ hybrid187 you obviously have never been in australia, rugby is perhaps the 4/5th most popular sport, well down the pecking order behind AFL, league, football, cricket. So with all the immigrants (especially from NZ!) that we take in, if they happen to be good at rugby we'll play them!
Posted 09:32 22nd October 2012
KiwiLad says...
Bokavenger, You illinformed enabrrasment to Rugby, Kiwis can not get the dole in Australia any longer.
I bet you recieve it where you live, as I struggle to see anyone employing an intelllect such as yours!
Posted 09:32 22nd October 2012
Spartacus says...
total, not toal, just in case this happens to be an offensive word in some part of the world..................
Posted 09:31 22nd October 2012
Spartacus says...
Hansen is becoming a toal whinger! Does he want to be the next England coach or what?
Posted 09:30 22nd October 2012
Melkiwi says...
Think he's talk more about players who went through the nz system and development and are now playing for Australia. Guys like ioane and cooper don't count cause they may have been born in nz but learnt there trade in oz or were developed in oz which should be the only thing that matters.
If you teach and develop those players then you should have every write to choose them. It's like baking a cake and having some one else eat it. If you put the effort in the you should reap the rewards.
Posted 09:28 22nd October 2012