Warriors linked to moves for top Kiwis

7:57am Tuesday 13th May 2008

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WORCESTER Warriors are being linked with several top New Zealand-based players.

Speculation in the southern hemisphere has reached fever pitch as the exodus of top Kiwi talent to leading European clubs is expected to gather pace in the coming months.

Highlanders' rookie number ten Daniel Bowden is out of contract at the end of the currrent Super 14 season and is currently looking for a new deal.

Bowden was believed to have been the target of an enquiry by Newport Gwent Dragons but no offer has been forthcoming to date, prompting the 22-year-old to throw his hat into the ring for possible Guinness Premiership clubs and Worcester have made it clear they are in the market for a top class fly-half.

"If any Premiership clubs were interested in me I would definitely talk to them," said Bowden, a New Zealand Under 21 international.

"At this stage I'm negotiating a new contract with the Highlanders but I would listen to what a European club had to say."

All Blacks prop Greg Somerville is considering a move to the UK and is also being link-ed to Sixways.

Llanelli Scarlets chief executive Stuart Gallacher and former director of rugby Phil Davies spoke to the 30-year-old last month but Somerville remains a free agent.

Hurricanes' back row Jerry Collins is another top All Black likely to be leaving New Zealand. The 27-year-old veteran of 48 Tests was linked with a move to Saracens and newly-promoted Northamp-ton but the right financial offer could tempt him to look elsewhere.

Collins visited friends and family in Devon after the 2007 World Cup and played for amateur club Barnstaple and the Barbarians during his extended stay.

At the time he denied suggestions of engineering a move to Europe but Munster have now emerged as one of the front-runners to secure his services.

"Players leaving New Zea-land is just a fact of life," said Collins. "I'm not saying loyalties are divided or anything, but after 10 years doing the same job for the same team in the same city, yeah, why not?"

Ex-All Black flanker Marty Holah, who was man-of-the-match in the Anglo-Welsh Cup final for the Ospreys, also be-lieves more players are likely to leave for the UK.

"It's a bit symptomatic of New Zealanders, they've had enough of how things are going in NZ," he said.