Mauger is believed to have signed a deal that will keep him in England until 2009

That may seem a little far-fetched but New Zealand rugby fans will soon be watching a national side stripped of key players as All Blacks flock to cash in on their market worth and sign lucrative deals with foreign clubs.

Over the past few months, as player contracts with the New Zealand Rugby Union have come up for renegotiation, the trickle of players departing New Zealand's shores after this year's World Cup has become a flood.

The lure of the black jersey has been replaced by the lure of the pound, the euro or the yen.

The trend for experienced New Zealand players to head overseas is not new, but in the past it was mainly players in the twilight years of their careers - Zinzan Brooke, Andrew Mehrtens, Justin Marshall to name but a few.

Now the departees are younger with many more years left in the tank.

Leicester-bound Aaron Mauger is only 26, Newcastle recruit Carl Hayman is 27, Saracens signing Chris Jack is 28 and even Agen-bound Byron Kelleher is only 30.

To put it simply, they are in their playing prime and as such, command salaries commensurate with someone at the peak of their profession.

CONFIRMED NZ MOVES Carl Hayman (Newcastle) Aaron Mauger (Leicester) Chris Jack (Saracens) Byron Kelleher (Agen) Sam Tuitupou (Worcester) Clarke Dermody (Lon Irish) Josh Blackie (Kobe Steel, Jpn) Paul Tito (Bristol) OTHER POSSIBLE SWITCHES Luke McAlister (utility back) Rico Gear (wing) Anton Oliver (hooker) Doug Howlett (wing) Sitiveni Sivivatu (wing) Ma'a Nonu (centre) Jimmy Cowan (scrum-half)

The NZRU cannot match the money on offer at English and French clubs in particular, and under its rule that players must play in New Zealand to be eligible for All Blacks selection, these players will be lost to the international game, for the next few years at least.

Top All Blacks earn around NZ$400,000 (£150,000) a year before endorsements, but to put this into perspective Hayman's Newcastle deal is worth a reported NZ$1m (£370,000) a year.

Not even the added incentive of a farm from the NZRU could keep the world's best tight-head prop at home.

The NZRU is in a pickle. Last month it reported a $NZ4.8m (£1.8m) loss for 2006 and has issued a stark warning that key operational activities will be cut if it losses continue.

Much of that is out of its control - it is exposed to the vagaries of the foreign exchange markets and is currently suffering because of a high NZ dollar.

606: DEBATE Is it just me or is the list of current All Blacks leaving their homeland getting strangely large? JL

It does, however, have reserves of $NZ77m (£28.5m), but this is earmarked to help contribute to the costs of staging the 2011 World Cup - not for boosting player payments or incentives to keep marquee players in the country.

The player drain is not a new thing, but in the past it has been offset by the Kiwi production line that continues to churn out new stars.

The framework for young players is second-to-none, but what is of concern is that many of these young players, the 'second tier' who have traditionally stepped up to fill the vacated All Blacks jerseys, are also heading abroad.

Hayman is regarded as one of the world's best props

Highlanders skipper Josh Blackie is off to Japan, 10-Test All Black Sam Tuitupou is joining Worcester, while 27-year-old prop Clarke Dermody (three caps) is joining London Irish.

Earlier this month the NZRU signed six youngsters including exciting flanker Liam Messam to new deals, but it is aware you can't buy the experience that is departing.

What it means is that the All Blacks will enter a rebuilding phase post-World Cup and coach Graham Henry's rotation policy will at least give his successor a base to work with.

One beacon of light for the NZRU is that the majority of players who will depart New Zealand have expressed a desire to return in the future to stake a claim for the 2011 World Cup in their homeland.

But in the interim New Zealand rugby will continue to fight a battle to retain its top players.

They will succeed in keeping some, but the reality is that in the professional era it cannot compete with the wages clubs are willing to pay.