Muliaina considers shifting south

All Blacks fullback Mils Muliaina has revealed he's considering shifting south to Wellington to play his rugby.

Muliaina comes off contract with Auckland at the end of this year and told The Dominion Post newspaper Wellington was one of his preferred destinations.

"Yeah, it's definitely an option I'm looking at because there are a lot of good backs down there," Muliaina said after All Blacks' training at Waitakere Stadium in Auckland yesterday.

"I'm coming off my contract with Auckland at the end of the year and it would be silly not to look at that option."

Muliaina, who has played 29 tests, said he recently visited Wellington to check out facilities and to see how he felt in the environment. He said he liked what he saw.

One of the main attractions for Muliaina, who has been one of the All Blacks' most consistent performers in recent years, was playing outside his All Blacks skipper Tana Umaga.

"The way Tana's running at the moment, as an outside back it's awesome to watch. He's almost the dream player to run outside."

Muliaina, a Southlander who moved to Auckland as a boarder at Kelston Boys' High School, stopped short of saying he was leaving Auckland, describing this time of year as the silly season, but his comments will be music to the ears of Wellington and Hurricanes fans.

The All Blacks No 15, who turns 25 on Sunday, has made the fullback's jersey his own in recent seasons and is among the world's best backs.

A combination of Umaga, Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Lome Fa'atau, Hosea Gear and Muliaina in the Wellington and Hurricanes backlines would rival the Crusaders for talent.

Muliaina played every game on last year's All Blacks' end-of-year tour to Europe, and again showed his class in the second and third tests against the British and Irish Lions.

Wellington and the Hurricanes have been searching for a try-scoring fullback since Christian Cullen left for Ireland in 2003.

Since then, Shannon Paku has performed more than adequately, being described by Wellington coach John Plumtree as the rock of the backline.

- nzpa