The exodus of top players from the southern hemisphere after the autumn World Cup gained another member yesterday when the Australian hooker Jeremy Paul said he would be moving to Europe, where Saracens head the queue for the 30-year old's signature.

The 72-cap Paul's contract with the ACT Brumbies ends this year and he said he would make an announcement on his playing future before the end of the month.

Unions in the south cannot compete with the salaries that leading clubs in France and England are able to offer, as New Zealand admitted yesterday after the All Blacks' prop Carl Hayman signed for Newcastle. The New Zealand Rugby Union desperately tried to keep the 27-year old Hayman, offering to boost his salary by also sponsoring his farm, but the tighthead signed a three-year deal with the Falcons which is worth a reported £1 million.

"The incredible amounts of money on offer in the UK and France are making it increasingly difficult for us to compete on straight dollar terms despite tremendous commercial support from our partners," said the NZRU deputy chief executive, Steve Tew. "We put our best possible offer in front of Carl and we are grateful he gave it serious consideration. The dollars available overseas are a significant challenge. Our response has been to create the world's best rugby environment in New Zealand."

New Zealand coach Graham Henry expects Hayman to return home in 2010 to compete for a place in the All Blacks' World Cup squad the following year.

The purchasing power of the major clubs will be discussed when Premier Rugby and the Rugby Football Union meet the International Rugby Board chairman Syd Millar at Heathrow on Saturday week. The gathering has been arranged ostensibly to find a way through the impasse whereby the Premiership clubs have followed the French out of the Heineken European Cup, but Europe will be part of wider talks on how the game is governed.

A watered down European Cup would impact hardest on the Scottish Rugby Union, which lost another player yesterday when the Borders scrumhalf Chris Cusiter joined Perpignan on a two-year deal.

Cusiter, who has won 31 Scotland caps, leaves Borders with hope fading that the soon-to-be-disbanded team will earn a reprieve. The Scottish RU announced last month the Reivers would be wound up.

Guardian Service