WAISAKE NAHOLO

Waisake Naholo was picked by the Blues in 2013 but after only a couple of games that year, coach John Kirwan didn’t want to keep him. So Naholo was granted a release to play for New Zealand Sevens in 2014 and when he finished there, he had a huge campaign with Taranaki in the ITM Cup.

He only won a Super Rugby contract late in the piece when the Highlanders were persuaded to take him and because of that uncertainty, he had gone looking for a deal in Europe and signed with Clermont.

But when he lit up Super Rugby in 2015 and was part of a championship-winning side and very much on the All Blacks’ radar, he wanted out of the French deal.

It took a few months of negotiations – and the sudden availability of Hosea Gear to appease the French – but the contract was nullified, allowing him to stay in New Zealand.