WHEN the coach of the New Zealand Barbarians, John Hart, lambasted the power politics of English rugby and lauded the competitive ethos of the All Blacks this week, he had his captain, Sean Fitzpatrick, at the forefront of his mind.

The most capped forward in Test rugby (83 internationals) has deliberately kept discussions about money and the pursuit of rugby excellence in strictly separate categories which are never allowed to overlap.

Ruthless commitment to performance on the field promises to take Fitzy past the 100 Test mark some time in 1998, since he shows no falling off in standards and gently sidesteps talk of retirement. This summer the 33 year old hooker led the All Blacks into the ultimate pantheon with a Test series triumph in South Africa, something they had never achieved in almost a century of competition between the nations.

Tomorrow Fitzpatrick, whose 11 Test tries shows he is not averse to running with the three quarters, plans to let his hair down and enjoy himself with the Barbarians at the expense of England in a non cap international at Twickenham.

The 13 Test players in the Baabaa's line up have been blitzing all comers ever since they lost the World Cup final 18 months ago, with Fitzy invariably in the thick of every ruck and in the vanguard of every offensive.

"One reason why we have been so successful this year is that money has never been an issue, because there's been a direct line of communication between the New Zealand Union and the players," explained Fitzpatrick.

"The players are all paid similar sums of money and there are no prima donnas. Everyone has just got on with each game and enjoyed it."

Hart appreciates the value of the continuity Fitzpatrick has provided during the potentially tricky transition from the regime of Lawrie Mains, who laid the foundations for the annus mirabilis of 1996.

Fitzy's well honed relationship with the more experienced players and his ability to inspire the younger All Blacks, such as Christian Cullen, has allowed Hart to introduce his own refinements with minimum fuss.

"When I got the job of coach there was a lot of speculation that because Sean was so publicly close to Lawrie Mains he wouldn't be my captain," recalled Hart.

"I put that idea aside - very quickly. I told Sean if he was keen and if he was playing well I didn't see any other option. I told him sometimes he needed help as a captain, but that was a matter of coaching, handling publicity and getting the players themselves to take more responsibility.

"We worked at those things, and as a consequence Sean became a wonderful captain - he is the most professional of a very professional group of rugby players in New Zealand. His attitude to the game on and off the field epitomises all you can demand from a professional sportsman.

"He doesn't want to get bettered and he wants, to prove himself. Yesterday I watched him running around the golf course (at Selsdon Park) and he had some pretty lively youngsters around him. Who was up among the leaders coming up the last hill? Sean Fitzpatrick. It's quite incredible how deep is his resolve and commitment to do things well."

It was hardly surprising that Fitzpatrick's sense of his own worth - and that of his brother All Blacks - was offended when the North put out a side cobbled together from lower league players and were duly thrashed 86-0 last Sunday. No top player who puts in hundreds of hours in the gym and on the training ground with Fitzy's rare intensity welcomes a mediocre work out before a high profile game at Twickenham.

"I have always enjoyed training, and now I can justify being away from home for four or five weeks at a time because I'm getting paid for it," explained Fitzpatrick.

"We have a very exciting team here - we stay close together, look after each other and we want to be successful. We just don't want to give up, and at training we give it our best shot - for an All Black there is no other way.

"I believe the older players must instill the tradition and culture in the young guys so they understand what we're trying to do, what we're playing for. An All Black is a player who wants to go the extra yard, who will grind it out to achieve that.

"We needed to use the North game to prepare for England, and obviously it wasn't the sort of test we, wanted. But we kept our composure and did the basics well. We want to finish the year on the right note and it will be disappointing for our supporters if we didn't perform on Saturday. You tend to be remembered for your last game, and it won't go down well back home if we lose."

Hart professes to be amused by Fitzy's rather Irish habit of chasing the ball enthusiastically down the flanks - his grandfather, Tom, hailed from Tipperary - which sits rather oddly with his four square scrummaging skills. The coach joked: "Sean has scored too many tries on the wing and that concerns me a bit - even at training today he was still trying to get out there a couple of times.

"Seriously, he has made the role of hooker into an art form. He has shown that today's hooker needs to be a very strong scrummager and to throw very accurately. But he also needs to be mobile and aggressive - Sean does all of those things very well.

"He is still playing as well as he did three or four years ago, some people would say even better. He has had a superb year, and it's a great honour for him to lead this Barbarian side on Saturday.

"What a wonderful player - I think he's the greatest hooker who ever played the game, certainly the greatest All Black hooker.