Gallagher's job with IRB may mean less time on pitch

Hong Kong and new League champions Aberdeen will lose bruising backrower Jarrad Gallagher, who has been appointed as the International Rugby Board's regional development manager for Asia.

Gallagher, currently the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union's coaching and player development manager, will take up his new post in May and thus will be available for the SAR's 2003 RWC Asian Zone opening round qualifying matches against Thailand and the Arabian Gulf next month. But he is unsure if he will be able to continue playing for Hong Kong after that.

'There could be a conflict of interest,' powerhouse Aberdeen No 8 Gallagher said yesterday. 'I start my new job in May and I don't know if it would be right for me to play for Hong Kong against other Asian countries.'

This is presuming that Hong Kong qualify for the second round. But in the long term the SAR have definitely lost Gallagher. The loss of the 33-year-old Kiwi will be a huge blow to Hong Kong's hopes of progressing into the final round of the World Cup qualifying tournament against Japan and Asia.

'It will be a big loss for Hong Kong if he decides not to play for Hong Kong. We don't have a conveyor belt of No 8s in town. I believe it will be a personal decision, but he is a man big on ethics and I feel he might not play for Hong Kong after taking on his new role,' HKRFU executive director Allan Payne said.

Gallagher will initially be based in Hong Kong, but he is also unsure if he will be able to continue playing for new League champions Aberdeen next season. He played a huge role in Aberdeen's dream run to the title this season, ending in an exhilarating 17-12 win over Valley last Saturday.