Haden under fire after racial quota allegation

Haden, who played 41 Tests for New Zealand, was appearing as a guest on The Deaker show

when he claimed that a source within the Crusaders – New Zealand's most successful Super 14 side – said the franchise limited the recruitment of Polynesian and Maori players to three.

"Once they've recruited three, that's it. That's their ceiling," said Haden. "It's in the Crusaders manual; there it is. It's enshrined in their articles and they've stuck by that. And they know damn well that's the case. And it's worked."

Haden backtracked slightly yesterday and admitted he probably overstepped the mark by saying the policy was "in the manual and enshrined in their articles". He also clarified that he was not talking about the exclusion of Maori players from the Crusaders but about Pacific Island players.

But he remained unrepentant despite raising the ire of prime minister John Key, New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew – a former Crusaders chief executive – and current Crusaders chief executive Hamish Riach.

Key branded Haden's racial quota claims as "factually incorrect" and "offensive". Haden is due to meet sports minister Murray McCully where his position as a Rugby World Cup ambassador for next year's tournament in New Zealand will be discussed.