With the 2011 World Cup winning All Black settling into life at the Western Force, Richard Kahui is “pumped” to be back in Super Rugby.
“To play here now in Australia, it’s a great opportunity,” the 35-year-old said. “I’m thankful to be here, the team’s been really great.
“We’ve got a strong culture here and I can feel that after three days. It’s something that I’ve missed about playing Super Rugby,” he added.
Having spent the past seven years in the Japanese Top League with Toshiba Brave Lupus, Kahui believes the move west is the ideal fit.
“I want to play for a club that stands for something and in a competition I really love, so this opportunity with the Western Force has popped up at the perfect time,” the 2012 Super Rugby Champion said.
“I feel very fortunate to be here at a team that has a great culture. The next part of building that culture is through success, which is something we strive for as a team and want to deliver.”
The experienced outside-centre, who is rooming with skipper Ian Prior, hopes to be out on the park donning the black and blue as soon as possible.
“First and foremost it’s important to get my performance right and play the best I can to help the team win. I could play this week, but maybe next week or the week after,” Kahui noted.
“I know the coaching staff have a plan to get me on the field and I’ve learned over the years that it doesn’t take me long to get into shape, especially contact fitness.”
The Force take on the Queensland Reds this Friday night at Suncorp Stadium from 5:05pm (AWST), live on Fox Sports and Kayo.
