Payto & Panda: Alofa Alofa’s departure to France has Waratahs scrambling to keep winger Cam Crawford

THE loss of Alofa Alofa to France for next year has the Waratahs scrambling to stop wing Cam Crawford signing with the Rebels.

Alofa Alofa scores for the Waratahs during the NSW Waratahs v Melbourne Rebels Super Rugby game at Allianz Stadium, Moore Park, Sydney. pic Mark Evans

THE loss of Alofa Alofa to France for next year has the Waratahs scrambling to stop wing Cam Crawford signing with the Rebels.

After an impressive rookie season with NSW, Alofa was snapped up by newly-promoted French club La Rochelle on big money this week.

Though the Tahs have decent wing stocks in Rob Horne, Peter ­Betham, Matt Carraro and Taqele Nayavaro, depth quickly becomes an issue, so injuries and efforts are being made to retain Crawford.

Alofa Alofa is set to leave the Waratahs for France.

The Norths flyer was sensational in scoring eight tries last year and only injury prevented a Wallabies call-up. But Crawford has barely been used by Michael Cheika this season.

No doubt feeling on the outer, the 25-year-old looked elsewhere and the Rebels were more than interested, with Crawford flying to Melbourne to meet officials this week.

Cheika has urged Crawford not to sign any deal yet, suggesting he may still have a future in Sydney.

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WITHIN the space of days, two Australian coaches, Ewen McKenzie and Ange Postecoglou, created waves in rugby and football with bold and contentious selection calls.

It’s little wonder they think so alike. The pair are firm friends — kindred spirits almost — and used to catch up for coffee regularly when they shared training facilities in their former lives in Brisbane.

McKenzie’s Queensland Reds and Postecoglou’s Brisbane Roar were both based at Ballymore, and the pair were often sighted talking turkey on club culture, preparation and man management.

People who know them say they are both eager to challenge conventional wisdoms, and not only keep up with best-practice, but to create it themselves. The coffee sessions seemed to work. Both the Reds and Roar won their competitions in 2011.

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IT has been entertaining watching the two divas of world rugby — Eng­land and New Zealand — slinging barbs this week about apparent disrespect to each other. The Kiwi media is outraged their All Black ­deities have to face second-string Englishmen in the first Test due to tight club schedules, and the English scribes are stunned Brodie Rettallick couldn’t get the name of John Laws, sorry Courtney Lawes, right.

It has been great, but hey Kiwis, why did you have to lash out at us? The New Zealand Herald sent many Aussie fans into a cold sweat when they included a photo of “Wallabies coach Robbie Deans” on an online story about the Australian squad.

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THERE were great scenes at Rat Park last weekend when a clash with a league game saw Penrith colts only arrive with 18 players for first and second grade.

According to northern beaches snout Jon Geddes, after the Emus went down in seconds 35-19, the gusty Penrith players backed up to play first grade. When injuries occurred, Warringah reserves offered to pull on Penrith jerseys to keep the game going. In the end, five young Rats were in the Penrith team.

Penrith coach Fila Tauangakavea was quite moved by the selfless gesture of the Warringah players.

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Michael Cheika’s short trip overseas in this first week of the June window would have Waratahs officials very edgy.

Cheika is believed to currently be in Paris, where he still has an apartment from his days coaching Stade Francais.

It’s unlikely the Tahs’ coach is scouting players, given NSW have a marquee star in Jacques Potgieter locked away for 2015 and it can all be done by phone anyway.

Given Cheika’s standing in Europe, however, don’t discount the possibility he is the one being scouted.

French clubs are constantly searching for high-class coaches but perhaps the most concerning noise for Tahs bosses is the ongoing noise that Argentina are dead-keen on Cheika.

The UAR have reportedly been targeting the NSW coach for two years, and now they’ve got a Super Rugby franchise to build ahead of 2016, Cheika’s CV would no doubt be attractive.

A multilingual coach with experience and success in both the southern and northern hemispheres, at clubs that required total rebuilds.

Cheika is on contract until the end of 2015 but watch this space.

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The Melbourne Rebels had a crack at bringing Berrick Barnes home from Japan in a bid to solve their desperate search for a quality no.10.

The Rebels have had swings at signing Bernard Foley, Matt Toomua, Christian Lealiifano and Welshman James Hook in recent years, but struck out each time.

Barnes is killing it for Japanese champions Panasonic and we’re told Rebels coach Tony McGahan seriously considered signing the goal-kicking ex-Wallaby as Melbourne’s marquee import; which would have allowed him to return for the next Japanese season.

It came to nothing, however, when the Rebels finally snared Wallaby Mike Harris. They also have faith in rising West Harbour talent Jack Debreczeni, who they also recently re-signed.

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Stephen Moore’s plans to tap into the NSW Blues’ methodologies to break the All Blacks’ grip on the Bledisloe Cup is solid thinking.

But you can almost imagine the wry smiles in New Zealand given the fact the secrets behind the Blues’ changes in science and game prep came from …. the All Blacks.

At the invitation of Kiwi coach Steve Hansen, Laurie Daley and assistant coach Matt Parish spent an all-access week in camp with the All Blacks prior to their game with the Springboks in Auckland.

A recent report said Daley had come back “buzzing with ideas” about how to end the Queensland Origin dominance, including moving the team camp to Coffs Harbour.