Japan-bound Blues playmaker Otere Black's claim that no New Zealand Super Rugby clubs were interested in signing him has been thrown into doubt by Hurricanes CEO Avan Lee, who says Black was always determined to leave the country.
Earlier this week, Black announced his signing with Japanese club
NTT Shining Arcs, ending seven years of professional rugby in New Zealand during which the 26-year-old has only just seemed to hit his peak.
Black enjoyed a strong year playing for the Blues in Super Rugby Aotearoa and Transtasman, guiding the Auckland franchise to their first piece of silverware in 18 years, while also helping the Māori All Blacks to successive wins over Manu Samoa.
And while clubs such as the Hurricanes look thin at the first-five position heading into the 2022 season, Black told the What A Lad podcast on Monday that he had reached out to local franchises, only to be told he was surplus to requirements.
"Obviously at the Blues, they've got Beaudy (Beauden Barrett) coming back, they've got Harry [Plummer] there, they've got Stevie (Stephen Perofeta) there. I would have loved to stay but in terms of playing-wise, I think it would have been a little bit harder to get consistent minutes like I've had over the last two seasons so I sort of weighed that up and I was like, 'well, if I'm staying in New Zealand, I probably won't be at the Blues, realistically'.
