John Afoa signs with Bay of Plenty Steamers

John Afoa wasn’t ready to hang up the boots when signing in March for the Bay Of Plenty Steamers in this years Bunnings NPC. He did however think his Super Rugby days had ended but that was before the Crusaders put out the SOS and he took the field in his 104^th super game last weekend.

"I wasn’t surprised to see how well John played on his return to NZ and Super Rugby" says Richard Watt, Steamers Head Coach. "Whoever you talk to about John, they all sing his praises for what he has achieved, his professionalism and his ability to perform over many seasons."

Watt continues, "we’ve got a number of young tight forwards in our programme and having John’s experience will no doubt be invaluable and of huge benefit to our young players development."

After leaving NZ Rugby in 2011 with 38 All Black caps, Afoa played 258 European 1^st class matches with stints at Ulster, Gloucester, Bristol Bears and Vannes.

"I’m really looking forward to settling in Tauranga for the season", said John Afoa. "I'm looking forward to reconnecting with some old friends and contributing to the success of the Steamers."

Afoa continued, "being the only non-franchise union in the Bunnings NPC semi finals in 2022 means the union is doing some great work with their development and building of a strong squad. I want to not only contribute to the further success of the Steamers, but help with the development of some of the younger players."

"We saw John as a perfect signing for our group", said Rodney Gibbs, BOPR GM – Performance. "To have someone with John’s knowledge and experience in our environment will be invaluable, we look forward to him contributing to our overall performance both on and off the field for 2023."

The Steamers season starts with a home game v Auckland at Tauranga Domain on Sunday, 6^th August.