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The South African Rugby Union, long derided as an organisation with no bite, has thrown out a direct challenge to the top Springboks and their agents.
The suddenly emboldened union has told its most prized men if they want to represent their country they must be prepared to forego a financial bonanza overseas.
The implications of such a stance could have huge repercussions in New Zealand rugby with stars who have gone overseas such as Luke McAlister likely to want to return home in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
The dilemma for leading Springboks such as Victor Matfield and Schalk Burger is they can either pursue a financial pot of gold overseas or stay at home. Trying for both could cost them their international futures.
The move is a heartening and welcome sign of a national rugby organisation fighting back against rapacious players and their equally greedy agents. Until now, they have held the upper hand but SARU's tough stance has given players a massive dilemma.
Matfield, already at wealthy French club Toulon on a six-month deal, has been offered a hugely lucrative deal with English club Northampton worth around 6 million rand ($1 million) a season. Taking it is not Matfield's preferred choice; nor does he want to stay in France with Toulon.
In a bid to break the stalemate, it is alleged Matfield's representatives have offered SARU a deal whereby he returns to South Africa for 3 million rand a year. The Blue Bulls are desperate to re-sign him but have told SARU they cannot afford to pay that. They have "invited" the union to pick up the tab to make the deal work, a sum thought to be around 1.25 million rand.
But the union is playing hard to get. As an insider said: "We know that every single agent in South Africa is watching the outcome of this case like a hawk. Our fear is that if we agree to make up the rest of the money involved, the agents will advise their players to sign for a top club in France or England and then wait for us to buy them back when they want to play for the Springboks. We would be mad to agree to that. We just can't afford it."
In effect, SARU is forcing its top men to make a choice. Clean up financially or continue playing for the Springboks. It's a very clever strategy which will also be of considerable interest to those in the corridors of power in New Zealand rugby.
New coach Peter de Villiers is said to be 100 per cent supportive of the union's stance. If need be, De Villiers won't choose certain star players for Springbok tests this year.
The insider, who refused to be named said: "Players have had things all their own way for a long time now but this may be the start of a different story. What is happening with certain leading star names is that they are putting pressure on SARU to defend the commercial gain they enjoyed by going overseas. We are not prepared to do that.
"The threat to SA Rugby long term if we accept these demands is potentially huge. Every agent can take every high profile player out of this country and when they feel ready to come back or the Springbok coach wants them, they can force us to pay to bring them back. We can't do that, we don't have the money. And it would set a highly dangerous precedent."
* Peter Bills is a rugby writer for Independent News & Media in London.
