All Blacks coach Graham Henry rebukes youngsters who leave their country for money
The All Blacks rugby coach Graham Henry burst out at the youngsters who prefer money over their country.
The coach finds it disappointing to migrate to some other country at that moment when their dreams of playing for national side come so near. Henry responded on yesterday after Keven Mealamu 32, re-signed with NZRU for another two years.
The coach praised the move of veteran player Mealamu and asked the upcoming talent to follow him. He also quoted the example of 83 New Zealanders who preferred patriotism over money and stayed at their national soil.
He said, “It irritates me the guys under the All Black group who have a dream about being an All Black for 25 years and then all of a sudden they get offered $500,000 and bugger off and don't carry on and fulfil the dream.”
He added that it was exasperating for him as huge talent is shifted to the Europe just for personal interests.
He expected that number of senior players would not be leaving the All Blacks team after the coming Rugby World Cup. Henry guessed that it was the family pressure that forces the young guys’ to make an unwilling decision.
He argued, “Often it is their partners' pressure, they want to go and do an OE and get over there and think 'oh Jesus, it's not so nice over here after all'. So the grass is not always greener.”
He further said that history was evident that the players who went abroad they regretted.
Earlier on as many as 15 players have signed their new contracts with New Zealand Rugby Union for next two years. The list includes senior campaigners like Jerome Kaino, Daniel Braid, Liam Messam, Anthony Boric, Kieran Read, Victor Vito, Tom Donnelly, Sam
Whitelock, Ben Franks, Tony Woodcock, Hika Elliot, and Keven Mealamu who refreshed his deal yesterday.
All Blacks’ skipper Richie McCaw along with some other players including Daniel Carter, Mils Muliaina and Israel Dagg has not decided their future after the RWC. Richie McCaw had already told that he would take the decision within a month after pondering
upon various options.
Graham Henry was asked about his own move when he drained towards the Wales for a million dollars deal but he simply smiled back to the question. Henry took a sudden turn during the year of 1998 and left away the coaching of Auckland Blues.
He was criticised from the various circles for taking an abrupt decision and later on he had to pay the price as John Hart was preferred over him for coaching the All Blacks in 1999.
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