Former All Black Julian Savea intends standing by his Toulon club team, despite being slammed by owner Mourad Boudjellal over his form in the French Top 14 competition.
Boudjellal climbed into the star winger, after his side lost 19-10 to Agen over the weekend, demanding an apology and a DNA test to confirm Savea was the same player he signed from the Hurricanes last year.
"They must have swapped him on the plane," Boudjellal told French radio RMC. "I've told him that he was free to and wasn't welcome at Toulon anymore."
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But Savea, 28, has tweeted that he will continue to fulfil his contract with Toulon.
"Putting all the negativity behind me and heading into this week with a positive attitude," he said. "Whether I am welcomed or not, I am still contracted to my team and I will continue to train week-in and week-out with my brothers."
Against Agen, Savea conceded a try, when the ball was chipped behind him and he could not recover quickly enough to prevent opposite Benito Masilevu scoring.
Savea's performance drew criticism from Toulon fans, which drew an outraged response from wife Fatima Savea.
"You have no support," said one Twitter poster. "Next match at Mayol, don't be surprise [sic] if fans spit and boo you!!"
Said another: "I hope your mom will get cancer soon as possible.
"You have more boobs than your wife, fatman."
Fatima Savea countered: "Absolutely disgusted by this shit.
"Take a minute to think about how your words can affect someone's life and their mental health."
Not for the first time, she also pointed the finger at her husband's teammates.
"With rugby, you are only as good as your team is," she tweeted. "It's not an individual sport, it's a TEAM sport and sometimes you can be let down by your team."
Former Wallaby Drew Mitchell also responded to Boudjellal's barbs, saying they would not encourage other All Blacks to sign for Toulon in future.
All Black wing Nehe Milner-Skudder has already committed to join his former Hurricanes and international teammate at Toulong next season.
Newshub.
