Steven Luatua to leave New Zealand for Bristol at end of season

Steven Luatua
Steven Luatua on the All Blacks end of year tour in 2016 (Getty image)

Steven Luatua will leave New Zealand Rugby at the end of the season to join top-tier England club Bristol after the club announced the move on Tuesday (NZ time).

Luatua will join the club ahead of their 2017/18 season with the length or value of the contract yet to be known.

Bristol are currently rooted to the bottom of the Aviva Premiership table which means Luatua will likely be joining them once they are relegated to the English Championship.

It will see him link up with former Blues coach Pat Lam who will take the reins at the club at the conclusion of the current northern hemisphere season.

"I have a fantastic relationship with Pat [Lam] and I enjoyed working with him at the Blues. I'm looking forward to taking on a new challenge with Bristol and contributing to the long term vision of the club," Luatua said in a statement.

"Bristol Rugby is one of the most ambitious clubs in the UK and that's backed up by a really passionate fan base. I've heard great things about the environment that is being built there and the plans in place, so I can't wait to get started in the summer."

After making his All Blacks debut back in 2013, Luatua struggled with form and injuries which saw the loose forward fall behind in the pecking order.

However on the back of strong domestic form in 2016, the 25-year-old earned a spot on the All Blacks end of year tour.

The move will see him join former New Zealand-based players Jason Woodward, Alapati Leiua, Tusi Pisi and Siale Piutau at the club.

Newshub.