Payto&Panda: Rookie Wallabies squad member Campbell Magnay is set to join a NZ Super Rugby team

PAYTO&PANDA: He is one of Australia’s most promising young backs and has just been brought into Wallabies camp, but it appears this star’s future lies in New Zealand.

NEW Wallabies squad member Campbell Magnay is close to signing with Kiwi Super Rugby heavyweights the Crusaders.

In a stunning move just days after Magnay was called into Wallabies camp by coach Michael Cheika, it has emerged that the hard-running Queensland back is deep in talks to move to Christchurch as part of his two-year deal with Japanese club Suntory.

Magnay’s Japanese contract makes it virtually impossible to return to the Reds because it violates the ARU’s own policy about selecting players from overseas only for Super seasons.

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Cheika has one potential ace up his sleeve, which is to continually pick Magnay in his squads until the end of the year, giving him limited time next season in Japan and having clubs from there rethink their approach to Australian players.

Campbell Magnay is in line for a move to the Crusaders.

In the meanwhile, the Crusaders have no qualms offering Magnay a short-term contract that will let him play Super Rugby and then slot straight back into the Japanese Top League.

The Crusaders already have Aussies Michael Alaalatoa and Pete Samu as part of their dominant squad and also took former Red Digby Ioane in when he could not finalise a deal with Queensland.

Magnay’s agent Anthony Picone, who also stitched up Sean McMahon’s deal to move to Japan, could not be reached for comment.

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PLENTY of people are confused about why Sean McMahon’s Japanese contract will potentially rule him out of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, given people trek back and forth all the time.

McMahon won’t join his Japanese club (tipped to be Suntory) until midway through NEXT year, not at the end of this year.

That means he won’t finish his two-year deal until March 2020, not March 2019.

Sean McMahon won’t head to Japanese rugby for another year.

There is still the chance he can return to Australia in 2019, play Super Rugby, then the World Cup and then play in the modified Japanese comp after that. But it’s no given, and it would require the approval of his Japanese club. Also no given.

Why is this all different to the once-popular flexible contracts? The ARU were involved in those deals before they were signed. They had nothing to do with McMahon’s Japanese deal.

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WHILE the return of David Pocock from the wilds of Africa will make up for McMahon’s departure - and more - the depth of flankers will take another hit with Chris Alcock also heading to Japan. The outstanding Brumbies open side was in career best form this year but figuring he’s not in the Wallabies frame (zero squad call-ups will do that), Alcock has signed with Kamaishi Seawaves.

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AUSTRALIAN women’s sevens coach Tim Walsh believes a new generation of Olympians will be created by the new university competition.

Walsh hopes the Women’s University Sevens Series, starting August 25 and running for five weeks, will unearth several “rough diamonds” who he can contract to his squad in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Player representatives from all teams pose during the AON Women's University Sevens Launch at Sydney’s Macquarie University on Thursday.

The development for the women’s game comes as nine nationally-contracted women from the gold medal-winning sevens side are set to earn six-figure contracts from next year.

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A YEAR after Tatafu Polota-Nau was all-but lost to Australian rugby, the hooker is set to become of the most valuable guys on the Wallabies books following Stephen Moore’s decision to retire.

TPN had signed with Bristol last year before a broken arm saw his contract fall over. The Tahs had filled up their hooking spots so Polota-Nau signed with the Force, and had another strong year.

But TPN is off contract at the end of the year again, and with Moore retiring and only rookies coming up behind, the Parramatta veteran can just about write his own ticket for a new two-year contract.

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HAVING drawn more than 8000 people for the second Manly-Warringah derby at Rat Park last weekend, there are more than a few who are hoping the two northern beaches sides progress to the Shute Shield grand final next month just to see how mad the crowd would be.

Manly are currently first and the Rats are third, and with one win apiece this year, a decider in The Decider would be huge.

A big crowd turned out to watch Manly beat Warringah on Saturday.

“If it is the Marlins and the Rats I guarantee it will be 18,000-20,000 at North Sydney Oval,” Sydney Rugby Union boss David Begg told us. “Absolutely guarantee it.”

The SRU announced on Thursday they’d be taking the Shute Shield grand final back to North Sydney Oval on August 26, following the huge success of last year’s decider. More than 10,000 people watched Norths beat Uni.

Begg said the SRU had contemplated “suburban league grounds” like Brookvale Oval and Leichhardt Oval before settling on the old girl atop North Sydney.

“It’s a superb old ground, central for most and we had an excellent crowd last year,” Begg said.

The popular 2017 Shute Shield season has been a beacon of hope for suffering Sydney rugby fans.

“It’s been a great year. The footy has been fantastic, crowds are up, TV ratings are up I am told by CRTV,” Begg said.

“It shows there are plenty of people out there who still love their rugby and we can’t lose sight of that.

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THE Macquarie Uni Rays will have some familiar faces on the coaching bench during the uni sevens women’s series.

Aussie men’s sevens stars James Stannard and Lewis Holland will be serving as assistants to head coach Nathan McMahon.

The pair are keen to learn more about the coaching world for a possible post-career move. Standard will even be acting head coach for the opening round of the four-round series when it kicks off in Tasmania in late August.

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SYDNEY University face the prospect of missing the Shute Shield finals series for the first time since 1997 this year. After a had a slow start to the year, the powerhouse Students are sitting one spot and five points out of the top six with two rounds remaining. There are a handful of permutations but basically they need to win their last two games and Norths to beat Eastwood this weekend to be a hope of sneaking in the six. Manly have all-but locked up the minor premiership.