Rugby: Cullen fears sabbaticals will kill game for NZ rugby fans

Munster man Christian Cullen. Photo / Getty Images

All Blacks great Christian Cullen warned lucrative sabbaticals abroad would "kill" rugby in New Zealand and turn players into "mercenaries."

Cullen, speaking on the sidelines of this weekend's Hong Kong Sevens, said New Zealand's decision to allow star first five-eighth Dan Carter a six-month stint in France set an unwelcome precedent.

"I think it's dangerous. You give Dan Carter that, you have to give Richie McCaw the same opportunity, Ali Williams, Mils [Muliaina]. I think it's setting a dangerous precedent," Cullen said.

"You don't want the All Blacks to become mercenaries where all the good All Blacks are overseas and then they come back and play test matches, because it will kill the game in New Zealand."

No overseas-based player is considered eligible for the All Blacks but New Zealand let Carter sign a six-month 'sabbatical' contract with Perpignan worth a reported 35,000 ($82,000) a match.

The controversial move was further clouded when Carter suffered a serious ankle injury after just five games, leaving him sidelined for at least six months.

"It's good for the players because they can go and make money, and as we all know, rugby doesn't last forever," Cullen said.

"But on the supporters' side it's dangerous because the public want to watch the best players in the world. New Zealand could slowly become mercenaries - the overseas All Blacks come back and play test matches and they're gone. And our domestic competition could be wiped out."

Cullen, an inspirational fullback who scored a then record 46 tries in 58 All Blacks appearances, said the domestic NPC tournament was already suffering from an exodus of players after the 2007 World Cup.

"Already the NPC is killed in New Zealand. You go to some games and there's 2000 people watching. In the old days mum, dad, son and daughter, everybody's going to be watching it," he said. "In the past you could see five, six, seven All Blacks playing against each other in one game. Now, that's not the case."

Cullen, who spent most of his career in New Zealand before an injury-hit spell with Munster, admitted he probably should have gone abroad earlier to amass more money for his retirement.

But he said players should be forced to choose between playing for their country or for a foreign club.

"I'm an old sort of traditionalist player. If you play for the All Blacks, you play for the jersey, if you go overseas you play for that team," he said. "If you want to come back you come back. I don't like the idea of being mercenaries and coming back, playing All Blacks and going away. It's going to kill the game."

Meanwhile, England's Rugby Football Union has rejected fresh attempts by Premiership clubs to expand the top-flight league season by six matches.

In January, the RFU dismissed initial proposals from Premier Rugby (PRL), the umbrella body for the 12 Premiership clubs, to expand the 28-game league season as a way of combating financial problems caused by the global credit crunch.

This season sees the end of the Anglo-Welsh Cup and PRL reckons an expanded Premiership programme could bring in up to 6 million a year. But RFU bosses were sceptical, saying that any increase would damage agreements which try to control the number of matches England elite players take part in.

PRL came back with revised plans but officials rejected them.

Ireland's Grand Slam-winning captain Brian O'Driscoll was named the Player of the Six Nations championship on Friday, the third time he has won the award.

The centre, who also took the honours in 2006 and 2007, led his country to their first clean sweep for 61 years and his four tries made him joint-top scorer with England's Riki Flutey.

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