Rugby: 'No hard feelings' as Atkins leaves

Mark Atkins will be joining the Manawatu Turbos. Photo / Paul Taylor

Financial stability prompted Hawke's Bay Magpies rugby No8 Mark Atkins to sign with the Manawatu Turbos.

"I wasn't offered a contract with the Magpies for this year and now we've got a six-month-old child we need stability," Atkins explained.

"Obviously I would have liked more minutes than I got for the Magpies last year. But there are no bad feelings towards Hawke's Bay because I enjoyed my time there."

Atkins pointed out that with regular Turbos No8 Nick Crosswell heading to Wales, there is a chance of more ITM Cup minutes. It will be his fourth province in five seasons.

During the 2013 ITM Cup season, Atkins, 23, started in eight of the Magpies' 12 matches and took the field as a sub in another. Last year he made just one starting XV appearance, in the disappointing 29-3 round robin loss to Manawatu, when captain Brendon O'Connor was a late withdrawal through injury.

Blues loosie O'Connor and Highlanders loosie Gareth Evans both reduced Atkins' game time to occasional stints off the subs bench when he wasn't on Hawke's Bay Saracens duty. Evans and O'Connor are both expected to share the bulk of the load again this year with support from Hurricanes wider training group member Hugh Renton.

A son of former Canterbury No8 Dale Atkins, Atkins arrived in the Bay in 2013 after representing Otago at under-19 and colts levels and Taranaki in sevens. He was the hat-trick hero when Taranaki beat North Harbour 32-17 in the 2013 New Zealand Sevens final in Queenstown.

Atkins joins London Irish-bound All Black prop Ben Franks, Crusaders-bound hooker Ged Robinson and Canadian prop Jason Marshall as the only members of last year's Magpies squad who won't be available for the team this year.