If the doom and gloom written in the UK newspapers is to be believed, New Zealand rugby in a few years will be as healthy as the woolly mammoth or the Dodo. 

Luke McAlister, Chris Jack, Carl Hayman and Doug Howlett, to name but a few, all left for the more lucrative climes of Manchester, Watford, Newcastle and Limerick after the disappointing outcome of the 2007 Rugby World Cup. More have subsequently followed in preparation for the 2008/2009 season, with Nick Evans going to Harlequins, Jerry Collins swapping Wellington for Toulon, and Greg Somerville today swapping Christchurch for Gloucester. 

In a world where all that matters is rugby, it would be easy to castigate these players, questioning their motivation and their pride to put on the national jersey.  But apart from McAlister and Evans, the majority of the stellar names that have left New Zealand have put years of committed service into the famous black shirt. 

Evans, an incredibly talented and intelligent player, realised his opportunities to represent his country were always going to be limited with Dan Carter sitting at 10 and a strong fullback covering by Mils Muliaina and Leon MacDonald.  McAlister, on the other hand, has the opportunity to prove himself in the future, having stated he wants to return to represent the All Blacks by the 2011 World Cup. 

Whether he will get that opportunity, however, is becoming increasingly doubtful. After another strong showing from the New Zealand midfield against a woefully inept England backline, an area of concern since the departure of Tana Umaga is finally starting to show some promise. 

With Ma’a Nonu beginning to look like the player many predicted he would be a few years ago being complemented by the intelligence of Conrad Smith and Richard Kahui, the All Blacks are showing a growing ability to attack the gaps on first and second phase ball rather than relying purely on holding onto the ball for multiple phases.