Setareki Tamanivalu has turned down an offer by the Chiefs and re‑signed with the Crusaders.
Tamanivalu had been chased by Colin Cooper about a move back to Hamilton, confirming he had spoken to the incoming Chiefs coach on the phone.
However, the three‑test All Black has decided to spend a second season with the Crusaders and said it was a relatively straight‑forward decision when he thought about how much he has been enjoying this first year with the team.
Born in Fiji and a former under‑18 Fijian rugby league representative, Tamanivalu burst onto the New Zealand rugby scene in 2012 when he was selected in the Taranaki national provincial team.
In 2013, he was named Taranaki's most promising player of the year and in 2014 he was recognised as New Zealand's player of the year in the national provincial competition.
He debuted for the All Blacks in 2016 during the three test series against Wales.
Tamanivalu will face the team that launched his Super Rugby career on Saturday when the Crusaders host the Chiefs in the Super Rugby semifinals.
He joined the Chiefs in 2015 but moved south to play his third Super Rugby season with the Christchurch‑based Crusaders this year.
Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations