In a few minutes this morning, the Toyota Verblitz caused a sensation on the oval planet.
The Japanese franchise has indeed announced in quick succession the recruitments of Aaron Smith and Beauden Barrett.
Nothing less than the All Blacks' scrum-half and fly-half.
The two New Zealand stars will join their new club after the World Cup in France (September 8 to October 28, 2023).
An announcement which, by the way, puts an end to the hopes of Racing 92 to attract Beauden Barrett, targeted to compensate for the departure of the Scotsman Finn Russel, who has signed up with the English club Bath.
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The pedigree of both players is impressive.
Beauden Barrett (31), who currently plays for the Auckland Blues, has 98 caps for the silver fern team, with which he was crowned world champion in 2015. Voted best player in the world in 2016 and 2017, the one who can also evolve in the center or at the back had already made a passage in Japan, in 2020, the time of a season with the Tokyo Sungoliath.
Aaron Smith had never left the Highlanders, the Otago franchise, since his professional debut in 2011. The 34-year-old scrum-half (113 caps), also crowned world champion in 2015, has d also thanked his lifelong club.
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I have to say a big thank you to the Highlanders for believing in me.
I have done everything with this team and they have always been there for me.
Thank you to all Highlanders players, staff and fans.
You have given me everything and more in the 13 years we have been together.
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The two stars will find within the Japanese franchise based in Aichi, their former coach, Steve Hansen, as well as another world champion, the South African Pieter-Steph du Toit, crowned in 2019 and elected that year best world player;