Senior Chiefs quartet eye up move overseas

The Chiefs are braced for a clear out of senior personnel that will most likely see David Hill and Deacon Manu follow Mark Ranby's lead and head overseas, with skipper Jono Gibbes still undecided about his future.

Hill has been offered a contract by English club Bristol, while Deacon Manu is understood to be heading to Llanelli in Wales.

Gibbes has a big-money deal on the table to join Justin Marshall at Welsh club Neath Ospreys but has put off making a decision until the end of the Super 14.

Ranby, the one-cap All Black midfielder, has confirmed he will move to Japan after the Super 14.

Chiefs chief executive Gary Dawson said he was aware some players were considering their future but, other than Ranby, final decisions had not yet been made.

But Dawson admits that while the Chiefs and Waikato would be keen to retain Gibbes, Hill and Manu, they are struggling to match the financial packages that have been tabled by the offshore poachers.

Dawson said: "Even with the new collective agreement in New Zealand and all the hard work being done by the New Zealand Rugby Union and various provinces to ensure we are paying our players a competitive rate, we are finding out how deep the pockets are of some of these French clubs in particular.

"The French clubs and also the Japanese have moved the benchmark. We can only pay what we can afford and this year we are also constrained by a salary cap.

"We want to keep our senior players but we have to accept that one day they will leave and that is part of the landscape. In some years, there will be more movement than others.

"We have some talent coming through our academy programme and it might take some time for them to come up to speed. But we have lost senior players in the past, such as Royce Willis and Deon Muir. Players always come through."

While the Chiefs continue to hope they may yet retain the services of three of their most senior players, Gibbes seems the only man likely to re-sign for the franchise.

Gibbes is aware that, at 29, he is unlikely to be offered a big-money deal again. The Ospreys are an ambitious club not confined by a salary cap. The going rate for a recent All Black with Gibbes' experience is between £150,000 and £180,000 (NZ$430,000-$520,000) a season.

He's given seven years of heroic service to Waikato and the Chiefs, making him a prime candidate to consider taking on a fresh challenge.

There are strong pull factors, though, making his decision a tough one. Gibbes may be recalled to All Black duty to face Ireland next month. And while Troy Flavell and Angus Macdonald are probably seen as more likely options to fill that versatile lock-cum-blindside role long-term, Gibbes has by no means been discounted by the All Black selectors.

The prospect of leading the Chiefs to a Super 14 title remains something Gibbes would love to do.

The decision is more straightforward for 2001 All Black tourist Hill. His defensive strength and strong kicking game is ideally suited to the style of rugby in the UK.

With props in such demand across the globe, Manu has an opportunity to kick-start a career that has been in reverse for a few years now. In 2004, Manu seemed destined to win his first test cap until he was given a working over by Carl Hayman at the All Black trial. Since then, his star has fallen to the point where he struggles to get a game for the Chiefs.

Should Manu go, he will not be replaced in the Chiefs next year by Philemon Toleafoa. The giant prop who was lured back from France last year on the recommendation of Sean Fitzpatrick has returned to Montpellier after enduring a torrid NPC campaign.

One man definitely not on the way out of the Chiefs, however, is technical director and Waikato coach Warren Gatland. Reports in the UK have suggested Gatland could be on a shortlist to fill the newly-created role of director of elite rugby in England but he said the job is not of interest and nor has he been approached.

"That sort of job is an administration role," says Gatland. "I'm only 42 and I want a coaching job. I've really enjoyed the last 12 months in New Zealand. It's been good to come back and learn from a different perspective.

"I can't say I will never go back to England. If something comes up, I would take a look at it. But I'm pretty excited about this season. We put a lot of structures in place last season at Waikato and we had about eight or nine players who were 21 or younger.

"This year we should also have Sione Lauaki when he returns from injury, as well as Tom Willis and hopefully Keith Robinson."