Marshall denies money meltdown

Justin Marshall has said money had nothing to do with the abandoned plan to return to his native New Zealand.

Justin Marshall has said money had nothing to do with the abandoned plan to return to his native New Zealand.

The former All Blacks scrum-half has revealed that the motivation behind the plan to play for Canterbury in the Air New Zealand Cup was to allow both himself and team-mate Mike Phillips to get some game time.

The pair compete for the scrum-half position at Welsh club Ospreys, but when Phillips sustained a cruciate knee ligament injury requiring a six month lay-off, the plan fell through.

“That's all it was, it never progressed further than that,” Marshall told the BBC's Scrum V, denying reports that the move was halted by the NZRU's unwillingness to offer him enough money.

“With Mike and I both at the Ospreys, Lyn (Jones) and Mike Cuddy (managing director) and I sat down and had a bit of a discussion as to how we could both get a good amount of game time to be firing for the EDF and Heineken Cup next year.

“We discussed in brief me returning to Canterbury for the NPC and then being back in time for the EDF and Heineken Cup, both of us having plenty of game time and plenty to play for, for the season.

“It was never guaranteed of going forward, it was just a matter of how can you get both of these players in magnificent nick and competing against each other to play in the EDF and Heineken Cup”

A veteran of 82 test caps, Marshall joined the Ospreys from Leeds Tykes in April 2006 on a two-year deal.

He took up an option of a third year in 2007, extending his deal to the end of the 2008/9 season, and is believed to earn close to £200,000 per season.

Apart from Wales scrum-half Phillips, the Ospreys also have youngsters Rhys Webb and Rhodri Wells in their squad.