Jerome Kaino returns from Japan

When Jerome Kaino announced he was leaving New Zealand in April 2012, he said he would be back. But not many believed him. A lot of people, All Black coach Steve Hansen included, really wanted to believe him but they had seen plenty of others head to Japan, promise to come back and then never be sighted again.

Whatever a player may say when he leaves – they get used to the money and the idea of trying to break back into the All Blacks loses its appeal.

Kaino was 29, he’d won 48 test caps and been a World Cup winner in 2011. He’d ticked just about every box and in Japan he was going to be earning $ 1 million a year – more than double what he could expect to be paid in New Zealand.

Would he really be back..? There appeared even less chance when first Liam Messam then Steven Luatua emerged as genuine test performers.

Would Kaino, despite his class, be the same player? Would he be good enough to play test football after two seasons in Japan?

As he himself said: “When I was in Japan the level the All Blacks played went up and the depth of new names kept popping up in the loose forwards and it did cross my mind that I probably won’t be the same player if I came back and that I probably wouldn’t get ahead of those young guys.”

But as much as he feared not making it and as hard as it was going to be having to take a near 50 per cent pay cut, Kaino decided to return to New Zealand. The bigger surprise, though, was how well he played. Since his return, he’s been brilliant. He earned his All Black jersey back and he is, amazingly, a better player now than before he left.