I don't know how effective a long term replacement Tamati Ellison would be seeing as he's less than 11 months younger than Ma'a Nonu.
I think the situations you mentioned are different entirely. Tim Bateman and Tamati Ellison are products of the New Zealand rugby system, all of whom would have returned on I'd imagine average salaries and have recieved no preferential treatment. Sonny Bill Williams was bought by New Zealand with a contract which other players couldn't demand. Ignoring money (I'm sure it wasn't a heck of a lot more than most senior players in Super Rugby at a starting rate, with further financial increases if/when he was promised to make the All Blacks, ontop of other media endorcements), it's the fact that he did recieve oppertunities that others didn't.
In 2010 the All Blacks killed everyone, yet the only new cap on the end of year tour was Sonny Bill Williams off a handful of NPC games in which other players such as Robbie Fruean looked better. You can compare that to Tim Bateman and Tamati Ellison getting starting spots in Super Rugby if you like, but the reality is that they had already come through the New Zealand system and proved they were the best avalible and on performance they earned it. Bringing in a novice player to invest highly in him, rather than investing in proven NZ rugby products will always be different to me and I think the NZRU's treatment of SBW is pretty disgusting.
That being said, like I've always said, good on him for him to take what he can get. Loyalty is something I respect in a player and it's something that I think SBW lacks, but I don't think he ever pretended to care about New Zealand rugby in the long run. Some of his BS about always wanting to be an All Black as a kid annoys me, as I think it's ingenuine when considering he's now leaving after not much more than a year of professional rugby in New Zealand and players like Hosea Gear who you know it means the world to miss out, but you have to credit him (and his agent and PR) for going and getting what ever he wants.
Yeah, well at the risk of flogging a dead horse
... I still think the two situations are remarkably similar (even though the amount of money may be different) ... the fact that SBW has developed his skills in a rival code is irrelevant to me, in fact, as I've already mentioned, I think it's a bigger loss to NZ Rugby, when a player that the NZRU has put time (and money) into, over a number of years, takes up a contract overseas or with a rival club. After all, you could argue that those coaching and development resources could have been better used on another player that would stay in New Zealand.
With respect Nick, the game is now professional, and just as we in the real world have to compete with others from within the organisations we work for, and with people from outside of the organisation, or positions. We also have the option to take our skills elsewhere for a better deal (as SBW, Bateman, Ellison, and numerous others have chosen to do from time to time).
Loyalty, fairness, whether you like the player, and potential ability, don't have much to do with it in today's rugby world unfortunately.
PS. Zeq I now you can't have too many options on your poll, but for what it's worth o he's not overrated (on
current form, he's the best number 12 in NZ IMO), is it a good thing for the NZRU, well , it's a fact of life that they are going to lose a few players from time to time, (I don't think they were worried about his behavour) ... same with the bad option ... it's okay, because someone will make the most of the opportunity to fill the vacancy