All Blacks coach Steve Hansen pays tribute to Julian Savea ahead of rumoured departure

Good on him. hope its a good deal!

happier man plays better rugby, sure france will suit .

Modern sport is a job. Most people accept the highest-paying job offer when they have a couple of offers up for grabs. Savea is no different and professional sport is just like any other job except you're in the public eye.

Good for him, he did his time for his country, just better wingers around now. All the best in France.

Good on him. Its his proffession and if Toulon are paying better, then thats how it is.

Well done big Bus, I still felt that there was a place for him in the ABs squad. Certainly that fear factor of the All Black wings appears to have disappeared or at least lessened without him. He is clearly not the force he was, but there is no forgetting his 3 try blitz against the French in the RWC quarterfinal. A deserved World Cup winner.

He was the top try scorer at the 2015 WC. Go the bus!

Never quite lived up to his potential? You know that hes scored 46 tries for the All Blacks, right? The same amount as Joe Rokocoko and Christian Cullen but Savea did it in fewer games.

Still remember him flattening three French players to score in that quarter final back in 2015. Unfortunately Im too young to remember Jonah Lomu, but Savea in his prime cant have been too far off. A shame it couldnt last longer

Why does everyone think its only the money when players go to play overseas? Sure thats a factor, but us Kiwis are always heading off for the big OE; why would rugby players be any different? I wish him all the best - Bon Voyage!

It's a job

Good luck Julian and thanks for providing a lot to cheer about.

Lam doesn't seem to have any issues

Nothing disloyal about being told that you are not needed for the all blacks so you consider something different.

In his prime he was unstoppable. The work he does off the ball, for me is still the best winger in the country at doing it but I feel like he lost that ability to look to beat defenders on the outside and instead just looked for the collision and it made him a bit one dimensional. Great all black though and good luck for his next move

All Black wingers tend to have a pretty short shelf life and can easily fall out of favour inside a season. Rokocoko and Sivivatu come to mind and were both only in their mid to late twenties just like Savea when they were dropped, one moment they are running hot, next thing they are no longer selected. When it comes to wingers there are so many exceptional, fast, skillful young players coming through, whereas in just about any other country they would be almost selected for life.

Going to miss watching him, rip up the sideline, smashing into defence. He is still good enough for the ABs, but hey good luck.

Lomu is not the GOAT

He is still a great player but has gone off the boil in the last year or so in relation to other wings in the country. Toulon will not be making a mistake in signing Julian. We can only wish him all the best and thank him for the entertainment he has given us in NZ..

This suits Julian and NZ Rugby. One can go experience a new culture while being paid well, and the other can invest the money they are saving on Saveas salary into a player still viable for the All Blacks.