Some French club are offereing Jimmy Cowan $33,000 a month.
Hes as good as gone. He'd have to be a gazillion times loyal to stay. But in saying that, he wouldnt be in the All Blacks anymore if he went, so I hope he takes that into consideration!
Lure of an All Blacks jersey expected to keep Highlander Cowan at home
By LOGAN SAVORY - The Southland Times | Monday, 7 May 2007
Highlanders halfback Jimmy Cowan is expected to stick with New Zealand rugby despite being linked with a big offer from France.
Cowan was reported in a Sunday paper yesterday to have been offered a deal worth $33,000 a month with French club Stade Francais.
However, The Southland Times understands Cowan is not far away from announcing a contract extension with the NZRU.
Rugby Southland boss Roger Clark was confident the lure of the All Black jersey would be enough for Cowan to turn his back on big overseas contracts and opt to stay with New Zealand rugby and the Stags.
"Jimmy wants to be an All Black and it's not about money," Clark said yesterday.
"You're never confident until it's a done deal but we have a belief he wants to be an All Black and continue to be a Stag."
Clark said the reported $33,000-a-month offers to leading New Zealand players from European clubs were correct, making it almost impossible for the NZRU to compete to retain its players.
While it was inevitable top players would jump at those sort of large offers, Clark felt the most concerning problem New Zealand rugby faced was fending off the overseas vultures who were about to target second-tier players at Air New Zealand Cup level.
Southland lock Kane Thompson has also continued to be linked with an overseas move, with him not yet extending his contract with the NZRU.
He is, however, signed to play for the Stags in 2008, which may see the Highlanders squad member play overseas but return for the Air New Zealand Cup.
He has not yet decided whether he will be available for Samoa for this year's World Cup in France.
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