As Colin Slade confirmed his departure to French club Pau yesterday, rugby writer Steve Hepburn looks at whether it is a flood, a trickle or just a steady flow of players heading offshore.
When people were leaving middle-class, provincial New Zealand a few years ago to head across the Ditch, someone joked the last one left should turn out the street lights.
Now it appears New Zealand rugby is about to turn out the lights.
The exodus of players heading offshore is like the school gate five minutes before the end of term.
Everyone is bursting to get out.
To get away and head for somewhere more exciting.
For New Zealand rugby players, it is not necessarily more exciting.
But it is more financially rewarding. A lot more.
Look at the top echelon, and it appears as though more players are heading off.
Go have at look at the past couple of World Cups.
Of the 15 who took the field against France on the fateful day in 2007, just four players were set to head straight to overseas deals.
In 2011, of the 15 who took the field to beat France, just one, Brad Thorn, was set to leave immediately for an overseas deal.
Contrast that with a potential All Black side that could take the field in this year's World Cup.
There could be as many as half a dozen who could be heading away.
Dan Carter, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Charles Piutau, Ben Franks and Jeremy Thrush have all announced they are off.
Then throw in the likes of Slade, Andy Ellis and Tom Taylor and there is a fair bit of experience gone.
But is it that much of a departure ?Is it not just like the year 8 kids moving on to a bigger school?The likes of Conrad Smith and Nonu are going to go anyway. They are heading off to cash in.
The main reason Thorn was the only one who left straight after the 2011 final was age.
The likes of Nonu, Carter and Conrad Smith were then young enough to be able to play in another World Cup.
The one difference this time is they ain't.
So there are more leaving than in 2011, but that is because time waits for no man.
Some, like Piutau and Slade, have gone for the money.
Pure and simple. Some people value dollars above everything else. Receiving an offer of up to $20,000 a week is hard to turn down.
Fair enough. Money makes the world go round.
But there are still an awful lot of good players left in New Zealand.
They can have a very comfortable life and have a lot of fun.
That is why so many young men still want to be a professional rugby player in this country. That is why New Zealand Rugby does not appear to be too bothered by those leaving.
The brows at NZ Rugby HQ will only furrow significantly when the All Blacks start losing.
And losing regularly.
That is when the real drama of players leaving and going overseas will get serious.
