Wallabies warning: Hands off Izzy

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WALLABIES coach Ewen McKenzie has responded to threats of a cashed-up NRL poaching back his biggest star by saying: Izzy is going nowhere.

Dual international Israel Folau was immediately targeted for a rugby league return after changes to the NRL salary cap this week gave boss Dave Smith new powers to pay for marquee superstars.

Speculation even emerged a loophole in Folau's contract could see a league club — and Smith's chequebook — swoop for the 2015 season, ahead of next year's Rugby World Cup.

But as it emerged the 25-year-old had delivered a $4 million spike in publicity for Australian Rugby in 2013, McKenzie joined Folau in shooting down the rumours.

"That's not right. I am really confident Israel will be available for the World Cup for us," McKenzie said.

"There is nothing that tells me otherwise. I have just been on the phone to him this morning. He is really enjoying his time in rugby."

Folau told Newscorp this week speculation about unpaid third party money opening up an NRL return in 2015 was not true.

"It's just all talk going around, I've said it before, I'm contracted to the Tahs until the end of next year and I'm having a ball here," Folau said.

"I'm enjoying my time and I'd like to be part of that World Cup campaign if I get picked.

"I'm having fun playing rugby and I'd like to continue that in the long term."

McKenzie said he was not stressed about the changes to the NRL's salary cap, which was interpreted as new power to both stop rugby raids, and to start raids on rugby.

"I read that in the paper today and I have read that before. I don't take it as a threat," McKenzie said.

"The reality is rugby in Australia has always had less money rugby league. Go back 100 years and we have always had less money than rugby league.

"We are offering a different product. I am not going to get beaten up about that."

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McKenzie re-interated the Australian Rugby Union's position on poaching NRL stars, which is they are only interested in talking to players who approach them. Prior to Folau, the last NRL converts were Cooper Vuna and Jarrod Saffy in 2011.

Despite the huge success of Folau's signing for the Waratahs and Wallabies, ARU boss Bill Pulver told NewsCorp last month the code was now not even in a financial position to match the money in NRL.

"For me, fundamentally we offer a different proposition," McKenzie said.

"We offer a different proposition on the field in terms of the game, and we offer a different proposition off the field.

"It is not going to be sorted out in pay packets, it is going to be sorted out in lifestyle and the opportunities that come out of that and where you play games of rugby.

"The financial part is inevitably part of the discussion. but . every player, him (Folau) included, when he gets to contract time will make those decisions about what's the most important things.

"Players will decisions based on economics but a lot of players make decisions for other reasons too."

NRL player agents are no doubt set to explore options in French rugby to potentially boost their players' value under Smith's new powers.

But a leading rugby agent with extensive experience in Europe said apart from the NRL's top one percent, French rugby would be more interested in a tighthead prop than league talent with no rugby history.

"Show them five minutes of Greg Inglis and of course they'd go "wow" but they pretty much don't even know what the NRL is," the agent said.

"I have never had any clubs or agents say to me: "Find us some rugby league talent."

"The last four or five guys to go to French rugby from here have been props or big locks."

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