Former All Blacks hooker Liam Coltman is leaving NZ Rugby to join French side Lyon.
The eight-test international has inked a two-year deal with the Top 14 team and will join them at the end of the Highlanders' 2022 Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
The 32-year-old's departure will lower the curtain on a nine-year tenure with the southerners, highlighted by their maiden Super Rugby title victory in 2015.
His form that year earned him promotion to the All Blacks, making his debut against Italy at Rome in 2016. He played his final test in the bronze medal playoff against Wales at the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
With 127 appearances currently to his name, Coltman finishes as the most capped forward and the third most capped player in the franchise's history, behind teammate Aaron Smith and Ben Smith.
"I have so many people to thank for the career I have had in Dunedin," said Coltman. "The great coaches, great players and great mates will mean that I will always think of Dunedin as my rugby home.
"I never thought of the hard work I do as being a sacrifice in anyway, it’s what I chose to do and what I love doing.
"I never thought I would have all the wonderful opportunities in life that my rugby career has given me, and I am just so grateful to have had them."
Head coach Tony Brown hailed Coltman's immense all-round contribution to Highlanders rugby over the past nine years.
"We like our players to be Highlander men and to demonstrate what that means on daily basis. 'Colty' will always spring to my mind as a player that I would call a Highlander man," said Brown.
"Since day one and throughout his entire time with the club, he has been the consummate professional. He prepares well every week and consistently delivers a 100 percent effort every time he takes the field. As a coach you can’t ask for more than that.
"Off the field, young players need only look to him to see how you professionally manage a decade-plus rugby career. He has earned the respect of his fellow players, coaches, and everybody at this club for his approach and of course he does it all with a smile."
Coltman will link with former Highlanders player Kenny Lynn, who is now head coach at Lyon.
The announcement comes a day after Coltman's former All Blacks front-row teammate Karl Tu'inukuafe announced his imminent departure to France. The Blues prop signed a deal with Montpellier, starting in 2023.
