Departing winger James Lowe has cited his place in the pecking order of wingers in New Zealand rugby as his reason for signing with Irish giants Leinster and says he hasn’t yet considered the possibility of suiting up for Ireland.
The 24-year-old has been on the fringes of national selection for several seasons and the national selectors had been in regular contact with Lowe who could see a long list of players ahead of him in the pecking order.
"Re-signing Izzy [Israel Dagg], and Bender [Ben Smith], you've got Jules [Savea], Waisake [Naholo, Rieko [Ioane], Damien [McKenzie], Melani [Nanai], I mean the list keeps on going," Lowe said.
Lowe was also diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, a condition that left him bedridden.
That and the list of injuries he's accrued during his career played into his decision to cash in while he still could.
"I mean it's a scary prospect thinking it could all be over very quickly, so I guess in a way, especially with my arthritis and I keep on breaking as it is anyway, it was an awesome opportunity that came up and hopefully if I'm smart enough I'll be able to set myself up well."
And while New Zealand Rugby, the Chiefs, and the Tasman Makos were keen to keep him, the money from Leinster was significantly better than what NZR were offering.
"I guess there was a gap, yeah."
Lowe doesn't have any ancestral ties with Europe and the prospect of qualifying for Ireland on residency in three years' time hasn't crossed his mind.
"That's not at the forefront, I haven't even played for Leinster yet, so one step at a time."
Lowe will play the remainder of the Super Rugby season with the Chiefs as well as the Mitre 10 Cup campaign with the Makos before departing for Ireland.
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