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There is an inevitability that professional rugby players and their agents will seek more lucrative pastures, for many the lure of representing their national teams no longer outweigh the lure of the almighty Dollar, Euro or Yen.
There is very little that can be done to retain our best players at home, and even if we begrudgingly let them go, it is really not up to us, but a personal decision for each and every player.
The debate in regards to whether it is for the money, new experiences or for a better life in another country is as debatable as the intention of the poaching rugby clubs and unions.
There is one truth though, and that is the Southern Hemisphere countries are on a hiding to nothing when it comes to losing quality players to Europe and Japan.
I fully understand and accept that a player who has already represented his country for a number of years is looking towards retirement and therefore wants to experience new cultures or find his bucket of gold at the end of the rainbow before it is too late. There are of course also those who have done their time and come to the realisation they are not destined to represent their countries.
However, the biggest concern I have is the sheer number of youngsters now being poached, which does suggest there is more to it than just experiencing a new culture or filling the pockets before the inevitable retirement.
South Africa have lost a good number of youngsters over the past few years, and so much so that Jurie Roux from SARU made an announcement in 2012 that the South Africa Under-20 team have been nominated as their second team.
This effectively rules out any South African Junior Springbok to represent other nations from 2012.
In 2012 four young players left South Africa, CJ Stander, Sebastian Chaves, Danie Poolman and Quinn Roux. For all practical purposes they are all lost to South African Rugby as their selections at Under-20 level was prior to 2012.
In 2013 three youngsters left South Africa, Jandre Marais, Cornell du Preez and Gerhard van den Heever, and they are also potentially lost to South African rugby for the same reason.
In 2014 seven players left South Africa, and three of these players did not represent South Africa Under-20s. Tim Swiel declined a call up, as he wanted to keep his options open due to a dual passport, Rossouw de Klerk and Rynier Bernardo were never selected, and although Peet Marais did represent South Africa at Under-20 level he did so in 2010, hence he cannot be seen tied to Springbok rugby.
Allan Dell and Paul Willemse have both represented South Africa at junior level in 2012 and Johan Goosen has already been capped by the Springboks.
There has already been confirmation that Jacques du Plessis and Steven Kitshoff are leaving at the end of this season, but luckily they have represented the Under-20 team in 2012 and 2013.
The problem, however, is that with SANZARR not having an Under-20 competition, it limits the number of potential stars that can represent South Africa on an annual basis as the Junior World Cup squads only consist of 30 players.
Whether to a larger or lesser degree, New Zealand and Australia find themselves in the same predicament as South Africa.
It therefore becomes imperative that SANZAR urgently consider an Under-20 competition to grow the base of players representing their countries at junior level in order to allow them to secure more future players on an annual basis.
If you consider that a fair percentage of players will spend more than one year at Under-20 level it is likely that the numbers of newly capped Under-20 players are significantly less than 30 per year.
If SANZAR implemented an Under-20 Rugby Championship it would afford them the opportunity to play an additional six matches at Under-20 level and therefore select more juniors to the international arena.
In doing so, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina will secure more of their young stars. We cannot compete against the Northern Hemisphere as far as remuneration for players are concerned, we therefore need to stop the bleed at the source.
Irish rugby players benefit from a tax perspective in that their earnings are exempted from income tax if they finish their careers in Ireland.
It is perhaps an option worth considering for the Southern Hemisphere nations as well. Whether the South African, New Zealand and Australian governments will agree to it, is of course another point of debate. But realistically, being exempt from income tax will hugely benefit our unions.
This will not stop the exodus of our players going overseas – the fact that Springboks are still selected for duty even if they play outside South Africa has opened the flood gates even more – but tax incentives should help to keep experienced players. Additionally, an Under-20 Rugby Championship will reduce the number of young talent poached for the exclusive use of representing adopted nations.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.