Blues wing Halai signs with Wasps

One-Test All Blacks winger Frank Halai will join English club Wasps after the World Cup at the end of this year.

Powerful winger Frank Halai is the latest All Black lured by the riches of European club rugby.

The Blues and Counties Manukau back will play for English Premiership side Wasps next season, joining All Blacks Dan Carter, Ma'a Nonu, Jeremy Thrush and Ben Franks, who have all recently announced their departure to England or France.

Tongan-born Halai's lone Test was against Japan, in 2013, after finishing his debut Super Rugby campaign that season as the leading top tryscorer with 10.

His size, speed and ability to shed tackles was a potent mix for the All Blacks Sevens team, scoring 30 tries in 33 games.

Former European champions Wasps are fourth in the Premiership standings and can only benefit from securing Halai, according to director of rugby Dai Young.

"We have made no secret of our ambition to become a top four side and recruiting players of his ability will help us take another step towards achieving that goal in the coming seasons," Young said.

"Frank is incredibly strong and powerful, with great pace and he has already shown his potential through playing for the All Blacks."

ALL BLACKS LEAVING POST-WORLD CUP

Frank Halai (Wasps), Ma'a Nonu (Toulon), Dan Carter (Racing Metro), Jeremy Thrush (Gloucester), Ben Franks (London Irish)


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