Superstar All Blacks outside back Nehe Milner-Skudder has extended his stay at the Hurricanes, penning a contract extension which will keep him in New Zealand rugby for at least three more years.
The fullback and winger made his debut for the All Blacks in 2015 and was a key part of New Zealand’s World Cup-winning team, scoring six tries and being voted the breakthrough player of the tournament.
Milner-Skudder said the decision to continue his career with the All Blacks and Hurricanes was an easy one, despite the recent raft of All Blacks, such as playmaker Aaron Cruden, leaving New Zealand to continue their careers in Europe.
“Being part of the Hurricanes for the past three years has been an awesome experience and though I wasn’t able to play a big part on the field last year, winning the Super Rugby trophy for the first time only reinforced my view that the club is building something special,” Milner-Skudder said.
“It’s been an absolute honour to represent my country and wear the All Blacks jersey and the only way to do that again is to stay in New Zealand.
“Hopefully I can play well enough to be considered for selection again, but as always there is some massive competition there, so my whole focus right now is just getting back on the field and trying to put my best foot forward with the Canes.”
Milner-Skudder has been a member of the Hurricanes setup since joining the training squad in 2014 before making his debut for the club in 2015, exploding onto the scene and being selected for the national team in the same year.
He currently has eight Test caps but is desperate to add to that number after a season-ending shoulder injury meant he was rubbed out of every All Blacks game in 2016.
“Last season wasn’t ideal with my early injury, but if anything it has only made me hungrier to get out there and represent the club,” he said.
Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd said he couldn’t wait to have his All Blacks representative back on the field after his disrupted 2016 season.
“Nehe is a very skilful player and he gives us a lot of options due to his agility and his vision,” Boyd said. “He’s equally capable of playing fullback or wing and could probably play a few other positions without much trouble.”
The Hurricanes begin their 2017 Super Rugby campaign on February 25 in Tokyo against the Sunwolves.
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