Experienced prop Hohneck decides to stay in New Zealand
» GLOUCESTER Rugby have confirmed that prop Josh Hohneck will not be returning to the club.
In a message on Instagram, the 34-year-old said that he had made the “tough decision” to return home to New Zealand.
The 34-year-old front-rower made 101 appearances for the Cherry & Whites since joining the club ahead of the 2016-17 season.
The full message read: “After calling Gloucester our holm for three and a half years my family and I have made the tough decision to return to NZ.
“I’d like to say a huge thank you to Gloucester Rugby, the amazing fans at Gloucester and most importantly my teammates over the last few seasons.
“There’s been highs and lows but overall I have loved my time playing in cherry and white, and I’m proud to have been able to notch up 100 games.”
Hohneck joined Gloucester Rugby ahead of the 2016-17 season.
He was part of the impressive Highlanders side that lifted the Super Rugby trophy for the first time in his last season having began his career with Waikato.
He then played for Bay of Plenty, before being picked up by Super Rugby franchise Waikato Chiefs, then made the move to Dunedin, representing the Highlanders.
Despite not arriving until mid-november, Hohneck made 23 appearances in his first season at Kingsholm and an impressive 31 appearances in his second season.
Hohneck was even more impressive in 2018-19, nailing down the number one shirt as he made 29 first team appearances.
In a statement on their website, Gloucester confirmed that Hohneck was not returning.
They said that Hohneck returned to New Zealand at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic with his young family and with a new child on the way, and complications over safely returning to the UK, he has made the decision to settle back into family life in his native homeland.
“Whilst we are sad to see Josh leave the club, we fully understand his reasoning for staying in New Zealand and we wish him and his family the very best for the future,” the statement said.