All Blacks: Deal on table for pair of aces

Richie McCaw and Daniel Carter. Photo / Getty Images

Richie McCaw and Dan Carter have been offered four-year contracts to stay in New Zealand with unprecedented levels of flexibility and payment.

The Herald on Sunday understands both players will be able to take either playing or non-playing sabbaticals if they stay; will be able to leave New Zealand at any stage of the contract; and pick up close to $850,000 a season.

The extraordinary deals have been made to reflect their importance to New Zealand rugby and their standing in the world game as two of the best players ever produced.

The NZRU is also hopeful that if they can tie in these two for four years, it will make it easier to persuade other leading All Blacks to make a commitment to stay after this year.

While New Zealand has a new generation of talent emerging such as Israel Dagg, Isaia Toeava, Owen Franks and Sam Whitelock, both Carter and McCaw remain critical figures, certainly this year and just as importantly next year, too.

The NZRU, after talking to the All Black coaches, believe both McCaw and Carter could make it through to the 2015 World Cup, although it might be a stretch for the skipper to still be the world-class player he is now in four years time.

McCaw will turn 31 later this year and, while he is showing little sign of slowing down and has looked after himself since breaking into the test side in 2001, he's conscious that his body could start to fail him during the next World Cup cycle.

He has said since the middle of last year that he's likely to stay beyond 2011 and is thought to be just weeks away from signing his four-year extension.

He's thought to be tidying up the detail around exit clauses as the NZRU are believed to have agreed that a player of his standing should be able to walk away from the game at any point he likes after 2011.

McCaw has been such an instrumental leader, such a brilliant player, that the NZRU believe he will remain invaluable even if he decides he's no longer up to the rigours of test football before the next World Cup. He'd still have a role to play with the Crusaders and possibly even in a wider role - guiding and mentoring young players across the country.

Carter's position is less clear in terms of whether he's ready to commit to New Zealand. Given the lack of emerging first fives, Carter will be desperately missed next year should he leave.

It's possible that in time the likes of Colin Slade, Beauden Barrett and Gareth Anscombe will mature and develop into test candidates but there is a growing sense that Carter, still only 29, could potentially be even a better player in 2015 than he is now.

The NZRU have been prepared to back that belief by offering a four-year deal that could once again see Carter spend time playing offshore as he did in 2009. Again, the national body's goal is to tie Carter to a long-term deal even if that means losing him overseas for six months or longer.

Offering Carter flexibility was critical to keep negotiations alive. The NZRU can't get close to offering Carter the same financial package as the French clubs who are chasing him.

Three clubs are believed to have made offers of about $2.2m a season but Carter's preference, according to those close to the talks, is to stay in New Zealand. Driving him is the goal to be a never-forgotten player - to play in the best competitions and be part of a successful All Black side.

Knowing that McCaw is going to be around will undoubtedly be a comfort to Carter; help convince him both the Crusaders and All Blacks have the potential to maintain their standards.

The other critical factor about these unprecedented deals is that it has made both players feel valued. It is believed that, when negotiations began last year, the NZRU simply offered both players a two-year extension with little flexibility and no increase in payment.

The initial offer to Carter, certainly, was a massive mis-reading of what would be required to keep him here. The rest of the world knows he is a once-in-a-lifetime player with a special set of skills that helps win games and championships.

The NZRU needed to be more inventive, make a vastly improved offer and leave neither Carter nor McCaw in any doubt that they were wanted here.

That offer has been made and it is just a matter of waiting.