Rugby: Crusaders charged with poaching Bok youth

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The Crusaders have denied a claim in South Africa that they are trying to poach youth players there.

Those of paranoid mindset may find it significant that the claim was published on a sports website in South Africa just hours before last night's kick-off in the Super 14 semifinal between the Bulls and the Crusaders in Soweto.

The story drew a firm denial from Crusaders CEO Hamish Riach that there was anything sinister in the Crusaders' involvement in a private sporting academy in Centurion, near Pretoria.

"They have completely got the wrong end of the stick," Riach said of a complaint attributed to the South African Rugby Union. "To say we are intending to pinch their players is completely untrue."

Riach said the Crusaders entered into a commercial licensing agreement with the academy. The agreement also involves sports such as soccer, golf and swimming. Riach said when the Crusaders toured the republic in the future, some members of the team would visit the set-up. The franchise would benefit financially from the licensing agreement.

The report on Supersport.co.za stated the academy had been sending a letter to schools, detailing information about a "nationwide talent identification programme at an all-expenses paid training camp" run by the Crusaders near Pretoria in July. It would cater for 60 under-16 players and reportedly be run by Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder and several team members.

Players would be reportedly be enticed with long term scholarship opportunities, whereafter they would graduate into the Crusaders wider training squad, with an eye to representing the NewZealand franchise in the Super 14 and ultimately the All Blacks.

The report added that a letter from the SARU to the NZRU stated: "What we find frankly horrifying is the systematic and widespread targeting of young players in South Africa. "We know that from time to time individuals will move to other countries, but we think that this time it is pushing the limit a bit too far," SARU CEO Johan Prinsloo added. SARU felt it had to act to stop the country "being pillaged" of its young talent.

"It is the first time that it came at us with such a gale force wind," said Prinsloo. "From time to time, we are made aware of these sorts of incidents but this is a very big concern that we felt we had to address."