All Blacks captain Sam Cane will play for Tokyo Sungoliath in the upcoming Japan Rugby League One season, the club announced Friday.
New Zealand Rugby said the 31-year-old loose forward is exercising a sabbatical option in his contract to depart New Zealand-based Super Rugby side the Chiefs and head to Japan.
Cane has indicated he will return to New Zealand after the Japanese season and seek further selection for the All Blacks.
"My wife and I have always discussed a goal of traveling in Japan and I have watched the growth of Japanese rugby, and so when the opportunity to join Suntory (Sungoliath) arose, I jumped at the chance," Cane said in a statement from the club.
"A number of my friends like (fellow All Blacks player) Damian McKenzie have said so many positive things about the club, the team and its fans."
The 95-test veteran led the All Blacks to a runner-up finish at the Rugby World Cup last month in France, where he was red-carded in a contentious final against back-to-back champions South Africa.
He played in three consecutive World Cups and was part of the team that won the Webb Ellis Cup in 2015 in England.
Cane will have the chance to lock horns in Japan with All Blacks hooker Dane Coles, who put retirement plans on hold to join League One champions Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay in a move announced earlier this week.
Coles, 36, has been drafted in as a replacement for Spears' star South African hooker Malcolm Marx, who suffered a serious knee injury during a training session at the World Cup.
Springboks winger Cheslin Kolbe will also join Sungoliath for the 2023-2024 League One season.
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