The Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union has announced the return of Māori All Blacks and Chiefs Super Rugby hooker Tyrone Thompson for the NPC season which starts this weekend.
The 24-year-old former Napier Boys’ High School first XV captain appeared in 18 NPC matches for the Wellington Lions before his Magpies debut against Waikato in 2022, the same year he first appeared in Super Rugby, with Waikato-based Chiefs.
With 23 matches in the black-and-white hoops in 2022-2023, he was not in the first full-squad Magpies announcement last week, sparking further conjecture about a possible switch to rugby league to join twin brother Leo in the NRL.
He has been considered an All Blacks prospect in the past 12 months, having played three matches with the mainly-development squad the All Blacks XV in Japan last year.