Fan favourite Ardie Savea has recommitted to New Zealand Rugby and the Hurricanes until 2018.
The 22-year-old flanker lived up to the hype in his All Blacks debut series against Wales after turning down an opportunity to go to the Olympics with the Sevens team.
Savea made his All Blacks debut in Auckland, coming off the bench in a 39-21 win. He scored his first All Blacks try the following week in front of his hometown Wellington fans in a 36-22 win over the Welsh.
Ardie Savea in action against the Waratahs (Photosport)
"I'm loving my rugby right now at all levels of the game and I'm excited about the future with both the Hurricanes and, if I'm good enough to be selected again, the All Blacks," said Savea.
"Wellington is my home and I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to continue my career close to family and friends."
The former Rongotai College head boy joined his brother Julian in the Hurricanes in 2013 on the back of an impressive 2012 ITM Cup campaign with Wellington.
Hurricanes Coach Chris Boyd said there had never been any doubt about Savea's raw talent.
"Everybody talks about Ardie's talent, but what they may not see is that he's a real team man and he puts everything he has into his rugby," said Boyd.
"There's no doubt he's a key man for the Hurricanes going forward and we're all looking forward to the next stage of his development."
Savea has also captained the New Zealand U20s at the Junior World Cup in South Africa.
Savea will front the media at Hurricanes training this morning where they'll name their team for Saturday's crucial Super Rugby showdown with the Crusaders in Christchurch.
Newshub.
