KEY POINTS:
Powerful Blues Super 14 No 8 and last year's North Harbour provincial captain Nick Williams may become the latest high-profile New Zealand rugby player to join the overseas exodus.
Speculation over his plans arose in Harbour circles yesterday with confirmation he will not be part of the squad for the Air New Zealand Cup picked by coach Wayne Pivac. Instead Williams has elected to have surgery on a shoulder injury.
Harbour union chief executive Brett Hollister was reluctant to discuss Williams' position yesterday or whether Harbour management had been assuming Williams was delaying any operation he may have needed until after the provincial premiership concluded in late October.
Hollister simply confirmed that, because of his surgery, Williams would not be available for the representative squad, which is due to be named soon.
At 24, Williams has been one of Harbour's best players in recent years and, until his 2007 season was ended by injury, had been captain. Though often sidelined by the Blues in the past, even appearing out of position at lock, Williams recovered from last season's injury setback to establish a regular Blues starting position this year at No.8.
But apart from a place in the Junior All Blacks in 2006 he has been consistently overlooked at national level.
Harbour will have at least two loan players in this year's Air NZ Cup, with confirmation on Friday that the Wellington union was releasing the Hurricanes first five-eighths Jimmy Gopperth. The other loan player will be Auckland midfield back Jamie Helleur, who is being used to cover the expected absence of Rudi Wulf and Anthony Tuitavake with the All Blacks.
There had also been suggestions Auckland loose forward Onosai Tololima-Auva'a may have also been sent across the bridge. But that appears to have been scuttled by ongoing injury concerns for Daniel Braid.
Meanwhile, the chances of New Zealand-born, Irish-based Jeremy Manning joining Harbour seem to be receding. He, apparently, has been offered an improved contract by Munster, though it is believed Harbour and the New Zealand union are reluctant to release him from commitments to New Zealand.
