Locked in: Chiefs re-sign Bird and Allardice
The Chiefs have locked down Dominic Bird and Michael Allardice to new deals.
Bird has said was there was interest from elsewhere, but he’s opted to stick with the Chiefs through to the end of 2018 after joining for the 2016 season.
A broken foot sustained in preseason last year delayed his Chiefs debut until April but he’s been a mainstay ever since and has hit his best form in this campaign alongside All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick, with the Chiefs four from four ahead of facing the Bulls in Hamilton on Saturday night.
The towering 25-year-old and fellow lock Allardice, who has missed the start of 2017 with a knee injury, will continue their Chiefs careers when Colin Cooper replaces Dave Rennie as head coach next season.
Allardice, 25, has signed a new two-year deal for the 2018 and 2019 seasons and is close to adding to the 18 Chiefs caps he’s won since his Super Rugby debut in 2015.
The Hawke’s Bay lock, who represented New Zealand Schools in 2009, will likely play second fiddle when he does return from injury given the form of Bird and Retallick together in the Chiefs’ second row.
With a 93.6 per cent success rate, the Chiefs boast the best lineout in Super Rugby after winning three New Zealand derbies – against the Highlanders, the Blues and the Hurricanes – before beating the Rebels in Melbourne in round four, in a match where Bird and Retallick scored a try each.
The former Crusaders lock, who spent three seasons in Christchurch, made his Chiefs debut against the Blues last April, which coincided with Retallick returning from a rib injury.
The giant pair have formed an imposing second row partnership ever since in a position the Chiefs will have great depth in when Allardice is fit again.
Loose forwards Taleni Seu and Mitchell Brown have also played lock this season when replacing either Bird or Retallick, who’ve both started every game so far this season.