Rugby: More Harbour players may abandon ship

Staying at Harbour could harm All Black Anthony Boric. Photo / Getty Images

These are tough times for North Harbour rugby - and tougher times could be on the way.

Hard on the heels of the union ditching another coaching team comes fears some players could be on the way too.

Already flanker Tom Chamberlain and first five Michael Harris are heading to Australia to play Super rugby (for the Force and Reds respectively) but there are hints that others could be packing suitcases after the loss of coaches Craig Dowd and Jeff Wilson this week.

The biggest question may loom over Anthony Boric, who is contracted until the end of 2011. Said to be close to Dowd and Wilson, Boric is the fourth-rated of the four All Black locks in Britain at present - and his World Cup hopes may be affected if Ali Williams, as expected, returns to the rugby field next year.

Boric may feel that his All Black future could be affected playing for a union in the bottom seven of the provincial championship and which is showing signs of strain after yet another poor year and another coaching upheaval.

Another big forward, Richard Mayhew, is said to be looking offshore and others in the Harbour roster have also been mentioned.

"Who is going to sponsor us at the bottom end of the bottom seven and who is going to play for us?" lamented one insider. "Who is going to coach us?"

Some Harbour sources say the side suffered because they never recovered from the loss of Luke McAlister to injury and the late-in-the-piece departure of other key backs Rudi Wulf and George Pisi to other rugby ventures.

But there were other, more basic coaching issues, say others, that point to the need always to have experienced coaches at the helm of an ITM Cup side, no matter how glittering the CV of former All Black players.

"The real problem was defence," said one insider. "They did well going forward and scored a lot of points - but the defence was never sorted out; and that comes back to Goldie [Wilson]."

Harbour in the last few years have gained a reputation as a province quick to reach for the axe. They have now parted company with coaches Russell Jones, Allan Pollock, Wayne Pivac and now Dowd and Wilson in comparatively rapid succession.

When Pollock lost his job, the union came close to agreeing terms with celebrated sevens coach Gordon Tietjens. But it never went ahead and some Harbour insiders say that Tietjens decided against relocation; worried about a union with such a quick trigger finger.

Harbour CEO Brett Hollister said that 90 per cent of this year's players would re-commit to the union and, asked about the prospect of potential coaches being turned off by the coaching turnover at the union, Hollister said: "Look, I really don't like the way the media has covered this. Dowd and Wilson have not been dumped. They did not hit key performance indicators that affected whether the third year of their contract would click in - but they are able to re-apply for their job and who is to say they won't be re-appointed?"

The frustration felt in North Harbour rugby circles has been sharp, with some, including Harbour stalwart Peter Thorburn, pointing fingers at the board - which includes former All Black Ian Jones, former All Black doctor John Mayhew (and father of Richard and Michael, both in the Harbour squad this year), former international sailor and North Shore rugby club identity Simon Gundry, along with others like chairman John Morgan.

A five-man panel at Harbour - Hollister, Jones, John Mayhew, Morgan and former All Black coach Laurie Mains - interviewed candidates for the coaching position two years ago before settling on Dowd, who brought Wilson in.

But whatever Harbour now decide to do, they may well have their hands tied. Like many provincial unions, finances are said to be weak, meaning the decision to go to the market (and maybe an overseas coach) could be restricted.

Crowds have been thin this year, perhaps another symptom of the vicious circle of poor performances leading to poor following. Gate takings therefore may not help Harbour break out of the slump.

"I don't know what can be done now, with the existing structure," said Thorburn. "I think it may have to fall over and then get re-built again."