BEST RETENTIONS

AFTER SEEING A NUMBER OF WANTED,

regular All Blacks decided to sign with o shore clubs earlier in the year, New Zealand Rugby has announced that a raft of players have extended their contracts.

Ryan Crotty, Scott Barrett and Ofa Tu’ungafasi have all re-committed to New Zealand. Crotty has signed until 2019, Barrett until 2020 and Tu’ungafasi until 2021.

While NZR is celebrating the decision by all three to stay, it is the signature of Crotty that was the hardest to get and the most significant.

The 29-year-old midfielder has become an integral part of the All Blacks and is in demand around the world. He had o ers to leave and with the likes of Nagni Laumape, Anton Lienert-Brown and Jack Goodhue all pushing hard to break into the All Blacks’ midfield, Crotty could have been tempted to leave before the World Cup.

But he said: “I took the time to consider my options, and it was clear to me that I still want to be playing my rugby here in New Zealand.

“2019 will be my 11th season with the Crusaders, but I still feel as passionate and enthusiastic as I did when my career began. I’m thoroughly enjoying my time in this team and love turning up to work every day alongside great mates, so whether I am representing the All Blacks, Crusaders or Canterbury, I still have plenty of desire to play my best rugby for each of them and I look forward to being a part of these teams for the remainder of this season and in 2019.”