All Blacks star Luke McAlister could be the latest Southern Hemisphere international to book his one-way plane ticket to Europe after declaring his ambition to join Sale Sharks.

McAlister, 23, revealed that his interest in Sale stems from his childhood, when he lived in the Manchester area at a time his father played Rugby League for Oldham.

If  the Taranaki-born  fly-half o/centre joins the Sharks, he will join fellow Kiwis Aaron Mauger, Carl Hayman, Chris Jack and Rico Gear in England's Guinness Premiership next season. However, the influx of international players raises questions about the future of the game.

'If they are not getting enough game time because of foreign players, this will surely be detrimental to their development'

As far as the English league is concerned, the quality of rugby will surely be enhanced. Not only will there be some world-class players on show week in week out, but the standard of the other players will be raised by training and playing with these stars. Attendance rates are bound to increase, generating all-important revenue for the clubs.

However, what impact will the invasion of Southern Hemisphere stars have on England's international set-up? The skills and performance of English players may be improved to some extent, but if they are not getting enough game time because the overseas stars are in their position, this will surely be detrimental to their development. If Premiership clubs are able simply to buy the best players in the world thanks to a super-rich investor, what incentive is there for nurturing homegrown talent?

The role of the European governing bodies will be crucial in controlling this trend. Clubs will be offered bonuses for the number of players they provide to the international squad, encouraging them to develop English players, striking a balance between investment in foreign players and investment in their academies. However, with the historic turbulence of the Club v Country row in England, a satisfactory agreement always seems hard to reach.