Agog on the Tyne - Even Hayman's surprised by Falcons pay packet

Perhaps not surprisingly, given the therapeutic nature of his post-World Cup work on a farm 12,000 miles away, the bearded All Black giant sounded a touch sheepish about the size of a Newcastle contract understood to be worth some £75,000-a-year than Jonny Wilkinson's at the same club.

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In making the longest of long-distance transfers, from Dunedin to Tyneside, Hayman has transformed the grunt-'n-groan trade into a golden art.

It helps, of course, to be the best in the business.

While Newcastle stress that the Northumberland countryside helped clinch the deal for the world's supreme tighthead prop by suiting his love of hunting, shooting and fishing, the sheer scale of the money on offer might just have had a bit to do with it.

"I guess I am surprised to some extent," he said, referring to a deal which will earn him around £350,000-a-year for the next 30 months. "Put it this way, I am not complaining. In world rugby, there's now more appreciation for the job front rowers do but I haven't really read much on the subject.

"I don't have a fire where we're living. So no reason to buy a paper - no offence intended. There were other reasons why I chose Newcastle. I couldn't see myself living in London because I like the outdoor life. Deer-stalking in Dunedin was one of my favourite past-times."

The All Blacks fought so hard to keep Hayman and his dry sense of humour that they explored the possibility of giving him the ultimate in outdoor life, a farm of his own.

Instead, with time to kill between New Zealand's premature exit from the World Cup and his release, he worked on the one owned by fellow All Black Andrew Hore, hence the tale about the lambs' tails.

"Part of my job was to use a hot iron to chop their tails off," he said. "Rather them than me but it had to be done. That's where I got the suntan. A few of the Newcastle boys reckon I've been on the sunbed which irritates me a bit."

After a long sleep, Hayman drove the final mile of his journey from Kingston Park to team up with Wilkinson & co at Newcastle's training ground. The landing of one prize asset from the other side of the world will have given England's fly half a timely reaffirmation of the club's ambition to break the Leicester-Wasps duopoly of the Premiership.

While Wilkinson's loyalty to Newcastle has never been in doubt, despite Lawrence Dallaglio suggesting he would be better off heading south, Hayman's arrival coincides with the club's most famous player in negotiation over an extension to his contract aimed at tying him to the Falcons' mast through to the next World Cup in 2011.

As befitting a player of his financial clout, Hayman signals Newcastle's readiness to shift from a middle-of-the-road Premiership team into one capable of winning the title.

New Zealand's policy of ex-communicating overseas players from Test duty guarantees they will have his undivided attention, not that Hayman has any complaints about such a deterrent.

"If they didn't do that, every man and his dog would be jumping ship and coming over here," he said. "Making the guys ineligible for the All Blacks is in the best interests of New Zealand rugby."

It is unlikely to dissuade Dan Carter from leaving at the expiry of his contract this time next year in which event Hayman will no longer be Britain's highest-paid import.

"I think there is every chance he will be coming because that's the reality of professional sport," he said. "When you look at th"

Hayman's Newcastle contract ends in May 2010, giving him the option of staying or returning to New Zealand and reclaiming his place for the World Cup the following year.

"Leaving family and friends was a big wrench, especially after living in Dunedin for a large chunk of my life," he said. "When you have an icon like Jonny and so many other good players in the squad, winning the Premiership for Newcastle has to be a realistic goal."

His new employers have no doubt Hayman will prove value-for-money.

"Signing one of the best players in the world naturally comes at a price,"ohn Fletcher, director of rugby, said. "Is he the best paid tighthead in the world? I would imagine so but I'm sure he could have got more money elsewhere. I do believe there were other reasons why he jined us, such as the style of game we play.

"Jonny, of course, is another factor, also the hunting, shooting and fishing lifestyle. We aspire to be right up there and we will enjoy the ride. I'm not under any pressure at all. Pressure is when your mum is dying of cancer."

Wilkinson and the Kiwi bearded wonder are scheduled to join forces for the first time at Wasps in Saturday's EDF Energy Cup tie - one starting at fly half, fully recovered from the damaged ankle which has kept him out of action since the World Cup final, the other easing his way in off the bench.