Both NZR boss Steve Tew and All Blacks coach Steve Hansen spoke to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and Minister of Sport and Recreation Grant Robertson, at the weekend's Bledisloe Cup test in Auckland, and highlighted the increasing challenge of retaining players in the face of cash-rich clubs from the Northern Hemisphere.
The overseas deals are becoming more and more lucrative, with All Blacks first-five Beauden Barrett, who starred in Saturday's win over the Wallabies, reportedly offered $3.4 million a year to join a French club after next year's World Cup.
