Hurricanes disappointed to lose Beauden Barrett

The decision by record points scorer Beauden Barrett to leave the Hurricanes was met with considerable disappointment from everyone at the club.

Barrett, who has scored a record 1244 points for the Hurricanes since his debut in 2011, announced today that he had signed with New Zealand Rugby for four more years but would move to the Blues to play in the Investec Super Rugby competition.

Hurricanes chief executive Avan Lee understood the rationale behind Barrett's decision to leave the only Super Rugby club he has represented.

"We know Beauden plans to live in Auckland but we wanted to reach an agreement which would have still kept him at the Hurricanes for at least some of the four years," he said.

"Given the flexibility that is being afforded our top players to keep them involved in New Zealand rugby, we hoped that Beauden's long and distinguished career would continue at the Hurricanes. The process has been challenging but we sincerely thank him for everything he has done for the Hurricanes. He has been a great ambassador for our club and we wish him well.

"Beauden has made it clear that his decision to leave the Hurricanes were for non-rugby reasons and we respect that. He leaves us as someone who has made a contribution few can compare to and we thank him for that."

The 28-year-old made 125 appearances for the Hurricanes, fourth only to TJ Perenara, Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith.

His career included two Super Rugby final and three semi-final appearances.

He has been the top points scorer in seven of the nine seasons and will always have a special place in the memories of the thousands of Hurricanes fans right around the world.

-Hurricanes

Hurricanes welcome Tyrel Lomax on four-year deal

Rising young All Blacks prop Tyrel Lomax has signed a four-year deal with the Hurricanes through until at least 2023.

Lomax, who has strong ties to Wellington with extended family living in Wainuiomata, will join the Hurricanes ahead of the 2020 Investec Super Rugby competition.

The son of former Kiwis international John Lomax, who played 15 tests for the Kiwis and had a long professional league career with the Canberra Raiders, North Queensland Cowboys and Melbourne Storm, Lomax has made a significant impression since he shifted back to New Zealand to pursue a long held ambition to be an All Black.

After making his Super Rugby debut for the Melbourne Rebels in 2017, the 23-year-old joined Tasman in the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup and quickly established himself as first choice tighthead which earned selection in the Highlanders Super Rugby squad in 2018.

He was selected in the All Blacks last November where he made his All Black debut against Japan after a number of strong performances in Super Rugby

Lomax also impressed for the Maori All Blacks when he represented the side on its end of year tour of Canada and France in 2017.

Hurricanes head coach John Plumtree was naturally delighted to have secured Lomax on a long-term deal.

"His potential is obvious for everyone to see. He's a very impressive young man who is developing his game at a rapid rate.  He is a powerful player, has a strong skill set and we are really excited about working with him," he said.

"It's great to be able to bring Tyrel back to the Wellington region where we know he will receive a lot of support and quickly establish himself in the Hurricanes club."

Hurricanes chief executive Avan Lee paid tribute to the amount of work the club's high performance team had put into negotiations with Lomax about a possible move to Wellington.

"Having talked to Tyrel we know that he will make a big contribution to the Hurricanes moving forward. Tyrel is a significant signing for us," he said.

"It is an area we want to strengthen and we believe we have the perfect person to help us do that."

-Hurricanes Rugby