Australia say no to NZ demands for Samu release

WELLINGTON: Canterbury Crusaders flanker Pete Samu appeared to have lost his chance to play for Australia against Ireland this month after New Zealand Rugby said Saturday its demands for his release have not been met.In a trans-Tasman tug-of-war, neither country has officially revealed New Zealand’s stipulations to release Samu, but it is believed they sought NZ$50,000 (US$35,000) to release the 26-year-old Australian-born player from his Crusaders contract. However, New Zealand Rugby’s head of professional rugby, Chris Lendrum, said in a statement that the issue had not been resolved. “We have attempted to resolve this matter in good faith but our proposals have not been accepted,” Lendrum said. “New Zealand Rugby remains open to resolving the issues.” Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, who was forced to omit the explosive flanker when he named his squad but left space for an extra loose forward, expressed bewilderment that money was stopping Samu playing for his country of birth. “I was a bit surprised to find out that there’s a compensation issue around this,” Cheika told Macquarie Sports Radio. New Zealand Rugby, which has already released Wellington Hurricanes flanker Brad Shields to play for England against South Africa, has said it was entitled to block Samu’s release because while he is eligible for two countries, his contract commits him to New Zealand.

from The News International - Sports https://ift.tt/2xBIegB