Rugby: White set to prop up Auckland

By Chris Rattue

Northland prop Nick White will join the Auckland ranks next season.

The 25-year-old White was at the heart of a Northland pack who spearheaded a better-than-expected NPC campaign this year after they failed to win a game in 1998.

White told Northland officials he wanted to join a major province, with Wellington initially heading the queue for his services.

But Auckland coach Wayne Pivac said yesterday that White's transfer would be completed this month, when all inter-union transfers must take place.

Both Pivac and his Northland counterpart, Bryce Woodward, said that since it was inevitable that White would leave Northland, it was better that he go to a team in the Blues Super 12 franchise.

Woodward was still disappointed to lose a key player from his side, who battle to keep a core of top-class performers.

But as well as getting a transfer fee, Northland can dip into the Auckland ranks - they have already gained loan players such as wing Dan Parkinson.

Woodward said he assumed White would also line up for the Super 12 Blues, although he dismissed any suggestion that Auckland - the franchise base - had used that to lure White into their NPC team.

"I'm not suggesting skulduggery. Nicky just didn't want to stay with Northland," Woodward said.

"It's the old story of the grass always looks greener. Auckland are a Super 12 franchise holder, and there is always the aspect of what a bigger union can supposedly do for you.

"He was all set to go to North Harbour last year but was persuaded to stay. We were hoping that big brother [Auckland] down the road might be able to convince him he could still stay with us but big brother didn't see it that way.

"And to be fair, it is not all one way traffic. We did get Dan Parkinson on loan from Auckland this year."

Auckland recruited former North Harbour prop Scott Palmer, who plays in France, as a stop-gap measure this year, when they won the NPC.

White has mainly played at loosehead, the specialist position of Auckland captain Paul Thomson and All Black Craig Dowd.

Pivac wants to gauge the motivation of players such as Dowd following the All Blacks' disappointing World Cup campaign, and said he and assistant Grant Fox were only interested in those totally committed to the cause.

Pivac believes White's future will be enhanced by becoming a top-notch tighthead prop - a weak point in New Zealand rugby - which would also give him the advantage of versatility.

In the unlikely event that White did not make the Auckland NPC side, he could be loaned back to Northland, Pivac said.

"The advantage [over White going to Wellington] is that Northland will get the transfer money plus the chance that the same player could go back on loan," Pivac said.

"Nick has been working on his father's farm at Maungaturoto and he will now be able to train full time."

White was in the Northland side coached by Pivac when they stormed through the second division in 1997 before striking a tough year in the top grade.

White played only a couple of games in 1997 and shared run-on time with Jason Barrell and Joe Veitayaki last year.

"He has obviously come on a lot as a player this year," Pivac said.

Meanwhile star flanker Justin Collins, the last Northland player yet to re-sign, returns from the Legends' tour today with Waikato and Canterbury also bidding for his services.