Family first as All Black seals move to France
"It was a really hard decision to make, it came down to my family and their longterm future."
Seta Tamanivalu
With a baby on the way, All Black Seta Tamanivalu knew the time was right to leave New Zealand.
Although Tamanivalu fought his way back into the All Blacks and was named in the squad that travelled to the northern hemisphere last year, earning two appearances against a Barbarians side in London and a French XV in Lyon, he will leave New Zealand with few regrets when he joins French club Bordeaux later this season.
With partner Brittany expecting their first child in early May, Crusaders wing Tamanivalu said the timing was right in terms of commencing a three-year deal with Bordeaux, reported to be worth around $500,000 a year, which will start at the beginning of the 2018-19 northern season.
Tamanivalu, 26, made three test appearances in 2016; twice he appeared as a substitute against Wales, and was also used as a replacement against Australia. All were in the midfield.
Although he was more than capable at centre, it was on the wing where he proved a real success for the Crusaders after joining them from the Chiefs last year and, subsequently, was picked to join the All Blacks on their end-of-season tour.
Fijian-born Tamanivalu had many things to consider prior to signing for Bordeaux. Forfeiting the chance to play at the World Cup in Japan was difficult.
‘‘It was a really hard decision to make, it came down to my family and their long-term future. It wasn’t about anything else,’’ Tamanivalu said.
‘‘It was hard - with the World Cup coming up - it was a really tough decision to make. I would have loved to have stayed to try to go to the World Cup but I decided to go to France. I just thought it was the right time.’’
The All Blacks coaches were consulted and their response was favourable: ‘‘They have family as well. It was good for them to understand my situation.’’
Electing to head overseas prior to the World Cup makes sense in terms of securing a lucrative financial package, with history proving that the rush for players prior to the global tournament is only going to get busier.
The depth, and quality, of the outside backs also means Tamanivalu wouldn’t have been guaranteed a place in any future All Blacks squads. Rieko Ioane and Waisake Naholo were preferred on the wings for the All Blacks in Europe, while Israel Dagg, Nehe Milner-Skudder and Jordie Barrett didn’t tour because of injury.
A big physical specimen, who proved he was capable of playing on either side of the park for the Crusaders, Tamanivalu is very good at capturing the high ball and can dominate defenders.
His arrival coincided with the Crusaders attack being more potent, resulting in them beating the Lions 25-17 in the Super Rugby final in Johannesburg last year.
As much as he enjoys rugby in New Zealand he said family would always be his top priority. ‘‘You can’t play rugby all your life. You can always come back later but it is family first and that is why you play rugby, especially for a guy who comes from Fiji. That is the way we are brought up - to think about family.’’
Tamanivalu was uncertain whether he would play a swansong season with Taranaki in the domestic competition.