Hayman's here after Kiwi snub

The sheer magnitude of the deal behind the bearded All Black's move to Newcastle once he has taken care of World Cup business this autumn has renewed fears within New Zealand's high command of their best players succumbing to the European chequebook.

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Now that one of their crown jewels is leaving in the prime of his life at 27, the All Blacks will wonder whether they can hang on indefinitely to the other two, Richie McCaw and Daniel Carter.

Like Hayman, they are the best in the world in their specialist trade.

Neither is out of contract, unlike Newcastle's new tighthead, but the New Zealand Rugby Union knows every man has his price.

"The incredible amounts of money on offer in the UK and France are making it incredibly difficult for us to compete on straight dollar terms despite tremendous commercial support from our partners," Steve Tew, the NZRU's acting chief executive, said. "The dollars available overseas are a significant challenge. Carl will be sorely missed."

Despite summoning all the commercial muscle at their disposal, the All Blacks will lose Hayman as soon as the World Cup finishes because they were unable to match Newcastle's offer. His basic salary, higher than the sum paid to his prospective team-mate Jonny Wilkinson, has the potential to rise to £350,000 should the Falcons realise their ambition to be Premiership champions.

Tighthead props, as Hayman has just proved, are worth more than goalkicking fly halves. At 6ft 3in and a shade more than 18 stone, the Otago Highlander has allied a technical excellence to a formidable physique in turning the front row of the All Blacks' scrum into their first line of attack.

Newcastle believe that Hayman's priceless ability to anchor the scrum will give them a solid base for Wilkinson to make the most of a back division featuring Toby Flood, Mathew Tait, Jamie Noon and ex-Australia full back, Matt Burke.

That they managed to get their man despite serious competition from Toulouse is a powerful statement of Newcastle's intent.

"This is a big step for me to take but it is also a big opportunity," Hayman said from Dunedin. "Hopefully, I will be going there as a member of the All Black team that's won the World Cup. Going to Newcastle now doesn't mean I'm totally lost to New Zealand rugby. I'd like to think I could come back and finish my career here."

By leaving, Hayman falls foul of the All Black rule excluding any player based outside New Zealand from Test competition.

His Newcastle contract begins in December and finishes in May 2010, leaving him the option to be available when the Kiwis host the World Cup the following year.

Newcastle believe that by then Hayman will have helped transform them from perennial inhabitants of the bottom half of the Premiership into a European power, always assuming they have a European competition to enter.

"We sat down at the start of the season and made a commitment to sign the best tighthead in the world," Newcastle rugby director John Fletcher said. "And we've done it."

The role of another All Black prop, Joe McDonnell, in selling the north-east to his former Otago sidekick helped them pull it off against the odds after six months of negotiations. McDonnell, who joined Newcastle last year, painted a picture of the Northumbrian countryside as a perfect home-from-home for a country boy from the deep south of New Zealand.

"Carl was able to get the inside track about the club from Joe," Fletcher said. "The message coming back from day one was that he really bought into the talent and ambition we have here at Kingston Park."

Newcastle forwards' coach, ex-Scotland international Peter Walton said: "Carl will give us a lot of what we have perhaps been lacking at times. He is the type who will run hard at someone as if he is trying to get through a brick wall. I want guys who believe they can get to the other side of that wall and Carl will be instrumental in bringing that culture to the rest of the side."

Tickets overpriced

Sunday's Heineken Cup semi-final between past champions Northampton and Wasps is in danger of being staged in a half-empty Ricoh Arena in Coventry.

As of yesterday, the clubs had sold 7,500 and 5,500 tickets respectively for the showpiece contest and even allowing for the usual sponsors and hospitality allocations, around 17,000 seats are still available out of a total capacity of 32,000. In contrast, Leicester supporters have snapped up 17,000 tickets for Saturday's other semi at the Walkers Stadium against Llanelli Scarlets, who will bring more than 11,000 fans over from Wales, ensuring a sell-out.

Northampton's head coach, Paul Grayson, blamed high ticket prices and said: "At 45 quid a ticket, I wouldn't buy one," he said. "Or it would have to be the royal box. The one explanation that we keep hearing for why people haven't bought them is that they're too expensive."

ALL BLACKS ON THE MOVE

CARL HAYMAN (age 27) — World's No 1 tighthead prop, signed by Newcastle.

AARON MAUGER (26) — Brains behind the All Blacks midfield, signed by Leicester.

BYRON KELLEHER (30) — Leading scrum half for the World Cup, signed by Agen.

CHRIS JACK (28) — Supreme lineout forward, close to deal with Saracens.

LUKE MCALISTER (23) — Daniel Carter's fly half understudy, chased by Harlequins and Toulouse.

ANTON OLIVER (31) — Hooker and former New Zealand captain, expected to join Toulon.