Rugby: Thrush sells at the right time

Jeremy Thrush has parlayed his All Blacks form into a European contract. Photo / Getty

Selling when your stock is high is often a wise move and that's what Jeremy Thrush has done.

Since he was named the world under-19 player of the year in 2004, many of his admirers waited for the Wellington lock to blossom in to one of the game's dominant tight forwards.

The development was steady rather than rapid and his eventual All Black debut came in 2013, five years after he made his first Super Rugby appearance for the Hurricanes.

But last year he took a major step forward as he became one of the more consistent locks going around and his man-of-the-match performance during the All Blacks' 24-16 win over Scotland on the end of year tour signed off on an impressive 2014. Thrush had pushed his stock as a player to an all-time high.

So, like any wise investor, Thrush has cashed in at the right moment and agreed to join Gloucester in England on a two-and-a-half-season deal, following this year's World Cup.

Financial terms weren't discussed when Thrush hosted a conference call with the media yesterday but he won't be playing for a can of Coke and a packet of chips and acknowledged it was a good time for him to head offshore.

"Obviously when you go over there or to those countries, the money's always a little bit better than what it is for some people in New Zealand and I guess that had a little bit to do with it," Thrush said of his decision to move.

"But it was also what I wanted to do ... in the later years of my career and what I wanted to achieve and I wanted to try something different."

The 29-year-old said there were a range of factors that contributed to his breakout international season in 2014, including the harsh reality of missing the June series against England, which served as motivation. But when he got his opportunity during the Rugby Championship, Thrush didn't look back.

"I knew what I had to do and it's just more I had the processes and how everything went with the All Blacks and the weeks and how everything's planned," he said. "It just all kind of worked out in the end."

There's a rising crop of young locks who will be fighting for World Cup spots this year, alongside Thrush, to join established second-rowers Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick.

Thrush, who has 11 test caps to his name, is one of a number of All Blacks who will likely head offshore following the World Cup as Ma'a Nonu and Dan Carter have signed lucrative deals in France.

Gloucester, who are coached by former Brumbies mentor Laurie Fisher, boast Kiwi prop John Afoa in their ranks, while Chiefs utility Tom Marshall will join the side after this year's Super Rugby competition.

"I liked the way that they're looking to go forward," Thrush said. "They're a team that's rebuilding a little bit at the moment.

"They want to contest for titles and obviously it might not happen straight away but that kind of excited me and I look forward to being over there and hopefully helping them achieve their goals."

Before he leaves, he would like to enjoy some success with the Hurricanes. Thrush, who has made 95 appearances for the franchise, will join them for pre-season work next Saturday.