Damian McKenzie will skip Super Rugby next year after signing a lucrative deal to replace Beauden Barrett at Japanese club Suntory.
The 26-year-old Chiefs playmaker is off contract with New Zealand Rugby at the end of this season, and the Herald understands he has signed a five-month deal to link with Suntory Sungoliath at the completion of the All Blacks' northern tour.
In doing so, McKenzie will follow a flood of recent All Blacks to the new destination of choice in the Japanese Top League.
McKenzie's long-rumoured decision appears a pragmatic one following the cruelly-timed ACL injury that robbed him of the chance to attend the 2019 World Cup. With another long-term injury possible at any moment, taking the money while it's on offer makes sense.
While McKenzie's salary at Suntory is unknown, the club are not shy of splashing cash after reportedly stumping up $1.5 million to lure Barrett late last year.