Laumape joins French club
All Blacks midfielder Ngani Laumape has signed with Paris Top 14 club Stade Français.
The 28-year-old, who played 15 tests for the All Blacks between 2017 and 2020, had been a fringe player for the past couple of seasons, missing out on selection for the 2019 World Cup.
Laumape will join Stade Français after the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competition.
He had been in negotiations with Stade Français for some time. The club was also interested in Argentinian centre Santiago Chocobares, but Stade Français confirmed they had gone for the Hurricane.
The Palmerston North-born Laumape started his professional career at the Warriors in the NRL. But after picking up a serious leg injury in 2015, he switched back to rugby and signed with the Hurricanes and Manawatu¯ .
In rugby he became wellknown for his powerful runs and earned his All Blacks debut against the British and Irish Lions in 2017, scoring a try at Eden Park in his second test. But he gradually found himself falling down the All Blacks’ pecking order as the battle for midfield spots became increasingly crowded.