The former All Black is tipped to accept a lucrative French contract and shun the World Cup, writes Gregor Paul.
Patience is wearing thin with Carl Hayman, who continues to dither about whether he wants to be set up for life or be an All Black again.
Having convinced the New Zealand Rugby Union, Hurricanes and Taranaki that he was desperate to come home, Hayman is now believed to be swaying towards signing a big money deal that will take him to France.
Those with a direct stake in bringing him home say they are braced for rejection. Only weeks ago, there was confidence Hayman would return in June. As the process has dragged on, confidence has waned and Hayman shifting to France is seen as the more likely outcome.
Clermont have offered him €500,000 ($1 million) a season, while Toulon have reportedly made an even bigger offer. Both are thought to be for three years.
Having just turned 30, Hayman is said to be viewing a move to France as a means of assuring his financial future. Playing for either Clermont or Toulon would set him up for life and give him the capital base to buy land in New Zealand, ready to begin a farming career when his playing days are over.
Given his age, Hayman knows this is the last big contract he will be offered. In three years, it's unlikely he'll be seen as the world's best tighthead and his value will drop.
While there is understanding of Hayman's position, there is a growing reluctance among New Zealand administrators to see it as a dilemma.
The NZRU have cobbled together what, by domestic standards, is an outstanding deal with the total value thought to be about $300,000 less than the French offers.
He'll earn somewhere in the region of $600,000-$700,000 in New Zealand. The offer includes third party funding and would place Hayman in the same pay bracket as Dan Carter and Richie McCaw.
But the source of local disappointment stems from Hayman's uncertainty as to his career goals. To become an All Black again will involve financial sacrifice. The NZRU can't match the European offers.
The likes of Carter, McCaw, Mils Muliaina and Ali Williams all rejected huge overseas offers to commit themselves to New Zealand to 2011 such is their desire to play for the All Blacks.
Even in the professional age, there is still an element of the All Black jersey being worth something more lasting and meaningful than cash. Hayman, who has been reluctant to talk publicly about his intentions, has said that playing in another World Cup is a powerful incentive to return home.
There is a growing feeling domestically that if Hayman really wants to wipe away the memories of 2007, then he wouldn't be looking so hard at the respective French offers.
"Carl is not the sort of person that can be rushed into making a decision," says NZRU chief executive Steve Tew. "We have made him a very good offer and it is up to him now."
That comment masks Tew's growing frustration that it's reached the point of take-it-or-leave-it with Hayman. The deal won't be improved. Nor will the NZRU back down on the length of the contract. They want Hayman here until 2012.
Short term deals allow players to rush home to play in the World Cup and then disappear again; not an option as far as Tew is concerned.
The All Blacks would love to have him. Coach Graham Henry has made that clear in several conversations.
But if Hayman can't commit; if he is more interested in money; then everyone will move on.
