As the end of the Super Rugby competition nears, scouting has already started for the next Super Rugby season. The Ioane brothers have declared they will stay with the Blues, despite being wanted by the Hurricanes.
Blues players Akira Ioane and his younger brother Rieko are in demand.
But the Ngāpuhi and Te Whānau-ā-Apanui brothers have indicated to their coach that they want to stay in Auckland.
Head Coach Tana Umaga told Newshub, “They mean a lot to our club and they mean a lot to our region, and to get the nods from them is really positive for us as a whole.”
The Waikato franchise faces a similar dilemma.
Chiefs coach Colin Cooper says they will be doing everything they can to keep new sensation Karl Tu'inukuafe at the club next season.
Karl Tu'inukuafe told Newshub, “I've been in a lot of talks about where to go next year, the Chiefs pretty much gave me a shot, loyalty is a huge thing for me but I guess the agents are going to talk to me about where we go from here.”
The All Black prop is off-contract at the end of this Super Season and is wanted by the Highlanders.