Former All Blacks midfielder Casey Laulala has returned to NZ rugby.
The 39-year-old two-test international has joined the Canterbury squad as an assistant coach on a one-year deal for their upcoming 2021 National Provincial Championship campaign.
The Aucklander, who made 62 appearances for the Crusaders between 2004-09, has recently come home after almost a decade in Europe, where he starred for heavyweights Cardiff Blues, Munster, and Racing 92.
With 48 games for Canterbury also under his belt, the Wesley College product says he's always felt like an adopted southerner and is eager to give back to his beloved provincial side.
"It's great to be back," says Laulala. "Canterbury is all I’ve known in terms of rugby in New Zealand - I very much feel like a Cantabrian.
"There's a certain level of expectation about Canterbury rugby and I like that. I'm looking forward to sharing my experience with the younger guys and helping them become the best players they can."
Laulala won four NPC titles with Canterbury and three Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders, scoring the matchwinning try in the infamous foggy 2006 final against the Hurricanes at Wellington.
After hanging up his boots, Laulala got his first taste of coaching with French Top 14 side Toulon, where he spent a year, before COVID-19 hit and he decided to move back to New Zealand.
Laulala - brother of current All Blacks prop Nepo Laulala - reunites with Reuben Thorne, the captain for most of his Crusaders tenure and now Canterbury's co-head coach.
"Reuben was a leader for most of my playing career here in Canterbury, but we've developed a personal relationship too, so I'm looking forward to developing that further," Laulala adds.
Thorne is excited about what his former teammate can add to the squad.
"While he developed as a player here in Canterbury, he's spent time overseas gaining new ideas and new ways of doing things," Thorne says.
"We think those ideas will bring a fresh approach to how we do things and ultimately drive us forward."
Canterbury begin their 2021 season against archrivals Auckland at Eden Park on August 8.
