Welsh offer for Gibbes, French windfall for Umaga

Chiefs skipper Jono Gibbes remains undecided about his future, while Tana Umaga is expected to clinch the biggest pay day in professional rugby history this week by signing for Toulon at a staggering $120,000 a game.

Gibbes is considering a three-year offer from Welsh club Neath-Swansea Ospreys worth an estimated £150,000 ($450,000) a year.

Last week the Welsh club tried to bounce Gibbes into signing by announcing that he had already committed. That strategy failed to get the required response and Gibbes, who has just returned to New Zealand after captaining the Maori to Churchill Cup glory, is still undecided whether he wants to head overseas or re-sign with the New Zealand Rugby Union.

He is expected to play for Waikato in the Air New Zealand Cup but will have to declare his intentions before the end of September.

The Ospreys want him to be eligible for the Heineken Cup and for that to happen, Gibbes must sign with them before September 30.

And if he is going to stay, he will need to get his new contract tied up well in advance of next season's Super 14 squads being picked.

As for Umaga, he seems almost certain now to head to south-west France for a 12-week sabbatical with the ambitious Toulon club.

The former All Black skipper has turned down huge overseas offers in the past, as he has no interest in relocating his family for a significant period.

Toulon, the former French giants who have fallen on hard times in the second division, approached Umaga a few weeks ago with a megabucks deal.

Umaga said he would be interested if he could head to France after the Air New Zealand Cup and return in time to complete pre-season training with the Hurricanes before honouring the final year of his NZRU contract.

Toulon co-presidents Mourad Boudjellal and Stephane Lelievre were happy with that proposal and are stumping up their own cash to pay the 33-year-old a reputed €350,000 ($720,000) a month.

The deal is close to being clinched but there are still some finer points which need to be finalised.