Wellington (AFP)
Former All Black Julian Savea has announced his departure from Toulon and his desire to return to play at home in New Zealand.
"Thank you to everyone who has supported me in the past two seasons at RCT," said the 29-year-old winger on his Instagram account on Wednesday.
"I will always be grateful for this experience and the time spent in Toulon," added the player whose contract expired at the end of the season.
Savea, 2015 world champion with the All Blacks (54 caps), had a difficult start after arriving in the summer of 2018.
"I am going to ask for a DNA test. It was not Savea that we recruited but + Savéapas +. They had to change it on the plane", had thus squeaked the Toulon president of the time Mourad Boudjellal, in February 2019 , adding that the player "was no longer welcome in Toulon".
Savea's goal, which has been shutdown for two months due to the suspension of all rugby competitions caused by the new coronavirus pandemic, is "to try to resume rugby in New Zealand or to find a new one contract".
Before joining Toulon, Savea wore the colors of the Hurricanes, the Super Rugby province of Wellington.
The announcement of his departure comes just after that of the signing to the Highlanders, another New Zealand province, of the All Black Nehe Milner-Skudder, whose arrival in Toulon has been repeatedly postponed.
New Zealand has set up a championship, Super Rugby Aotearoa, which is due to start on June 13, to replace Super Rugby, the championship of the southern hemisphere provinces, suspended due to the pandemic.
In France, the resumption of rugby competitions is not expected until September.
© 2020 AFP