Feb 17 : Auckland Blues captain Dalton Papali’i will depart for France at the end of the Super Rugby Pacific season to take up a contract with Top 14 side Castres Olympique, ruling himself out of selection for next year’s World Cup.
The 37-test flanker confirmed the move on Tuesday, days after complaining about being shut out of the All Blacks setup by former coach Scott Robertson.
Though Robertson was sacked in January and the All Blacks will have a new coach, Papali’i will not be eligible to represent New Zealand due to the nation’s policy of only selecting home-based players.
Papali’i, 28, joins teammates Hoskins Sotutu and AJ Lam in exiting the Blues post-season to pursue careers in Europe, prompting concern from coach Vern Cotter.
“I think we should be (worried) and need to have better alignment, better conversations and earlier conversations with players such as Dalton,” Cotter told New Zealand media on Tuesday.
“He felt he had more to contribute (to the All Blacks) but wasn’t invited, so he made a decision to move.
“He’s captain material and he could have been an All Blacks captain.
“Losing him from New Zealand rugby hurts a bit but he’s got a family and a lot of other things to take into consideration.
“AJ Lam is going to hurt as well, Hoskins (too). We need these players in New Zealand.”
Loose forward Sotutu earned 14 All Blacks caps while fellow 27-year-old Lam, a winger, has been on the fringes of test selection for several years.
Papali’i said it was a tough decision to leave the Blues and New Zealand rugby but the chance to set his young family up financially was important to him.
“Rugby has been a big part of my life and the Blues and the All Blacks and I’ve been selfish with that, but since having a partner and a baby it’s put a lot into perspective, and rugby is not a long career,” he said.
“You’ve only got a short window.”
