KEY POINTS:
It seems a bit rich when Ian McGeechan criticises some of his Wasps players for taking up the lure of the euro in France.
"Geech" felt that New Zealander Riki Flutey and English forwards James Haskell and Tom Palmer should have stayed at Wasps if they wanted to improve their careers instead of being swayed by the Anglo-French monetary mismatch.
Welcome to the rugby world New Zealand has been dealing with for some time, Geech.
Just think of some recent All Blacks like Carl Hayman, Luke McAlister and Nick Evans, players in their prime who skipped off to work their trade in Britain. You can't think they went there because of the quality of the rugby.
There were side attractions like travel and a change of scene but the lure of the lucre was the main reason for others like Doug Howlett, Aaron Mauger, Byron Kelleher and Jerry Collins also hitting the exit carousel.
Now it seems English clubs are feeling the same financial pinch that left New Zealand vulnerable to player poaching raids, because French clubs in their Top 14 series are not constrained by a salary cap.
England will also be left wondering if the French clubs will comply, as Haskell believes they will, with every request from Martin Johnson for players to turn up for international practice, games, medical checks or training camps.
While England's chief administrator Rob Andrew sounded warnings from his Twickenham tower about the player exodus, it was pointed out that he did much the same during his career while Johnson has recently chosen five-eighths Andy Goode for England after watching him, on tape, turn out for his Brive club.
And while we are having a peep at footy in the Northern Hemisphere, it is perplexing that McGeechan is off as head honcho on another Lions tour this season.
This will be the fifth expedition he has been on with the Lions as either coach or part of the management group after earlier making two trips as a midfield back with the Lions.
It is some dedication by Geech, who is an extremely engaging gentleman, but his appointment also seems to carry with it some criticism of the current crop of coaching talent in Britain.
