The recent decision of Carl Hayman to play for the Euro's rather than the All Blacks (& a fair chunk of Taranaki) has generated plenty of debate about selecting NZ players who play for European clubs.
 
The recent experience of Butch James, selected to play for the Springboks this weekend vs Wales, should act as a warning to those in favour of it.
 

Latest Rugby World Cup ticketing update has an over-subscription for tickets for games at Eden Park.  Seems they are going to carry out a "randomisation process" to determine which applications are successful whatever that means?!?
 
Seems the demand wasn't as high in the provinces & I thought dairy prices were on the surge again!

Seems the All Black hierarchy are really falling all over themselves about SBW & the dream of him playing at Pukekohe Stadium is still alive.
 
How this quite fits with his boxing career, as Joseph Romanos sagely points out, I'm not quite sure.

Well its official - that nauseous feeling took over last Sunday when I heard the names Richard Kahui & Aled de Malmanche amongst the 26 man All Black squad named to face the Paddys & the Taffs.

Claims of racial selection at the Crusaders & an ex NZ player charged with slavery in France - some interesting stuff out there in the news!! 
 

Seems the NZRU & even the mighty Counties union might be getting involved in the global auction for Sonny Bill Williams conducted by his dubious agent Khoder Nasser, who can yell "Show me the money" louder than most.

It's that time of the year again for the first All Black squad to be picked & the Auckland Herald's expert, aka the bearded gnome, has released his selection.
 
Given that we are less than two years from the RWC & there is only one more Super rugby competition to assess form this may be the selectors' last chance to experiment (though there is always the end of year tour).  Throw in the number of long term injuries & a number of players on the comeback trail from injury and this could be a very interesting squad.
 

Finally the international powers that be have listened to the fans & have reinstated meaningful tours & test series to the schedule.

I have a bit of a different take on this. I think the superstars are still out there in the NZ system but we see so much more of them now due to professional rugby & the saturation TV coverage of it.