Cory Jane is back, and everyone at the Hurricanes knows it.
It is nearly 10 years to the day since he played the first of his 110 games for the Hurricanes and the 33-year-old (34 next week) outside back was his usual annoying, frisky self after an off-season at Japanese club Toshiba Brave Lupus. He was dissing skipper Dane Coles, among others.
Jane regaled the media today with tales of his language and geographical issues in Japan, not to mention his inability to keep his apartment or washing clean due to the prolonged absence of his wife Amie, who travelled over from New Zealand with his children later in the season. Jane looks like a man who is injury-free and unconcerned about having to crack the All Blacks, having closed that particular chapter of his career.
"The rugby was the hardest part of it, but the food and the culture was cool... no one cares about you over there. You could walk around nude and no one would care. I didn't try that, though," says New Zealand rugby's court jester, warming to his work. He may be able to help the Hurricanes in tricky restaurant situations when they travel to Tokyo for their first competition game in three weeks.
"The All Blacks are gone. I just want to enjoy myself. It could be my last year, who knows? I'll see how the body goes. I still like to compete, though, I hate losing," he says, adding that he still likes to keep the youngsters on their toes with some eye-catching sprint times.
