Māori All Black Shaun Stevenson (Ngāpuhi) has re-signed with the Chiefs for the next four years. The 22-year-old debuted for the team in 2016 and told us today that staying in New Zealand rugby was a "no-brainer".
“I’m pretty excited for this and for my family…I’ve got a lot of things to tick off before looking overseas. It was a no-brainer to sign on the dotted line and hang around in Waikato country for the next four years.”
Stevenson says that he ‘didn’t really look’ at offshore teams.
“There’s no other place I’d rather be right now, so I didn’t look too in-depth at options overseas. I’ve enjoyed the last few years down here so will look to continue on.
“I just think the environment we’ve built…it’s pretty exciting where this organisation can go.”
Stevenson, a wing and fullback, was hit with injuries in 2018. While he was off the field for a lot of super rugby, he worked his way back to form with North Harbour in the Mitre 10 Cup, earning him selection for the Māori All Blacks tour to Chicago, Brazil and Chile. He has scored six tries in his super rugby career.
Chiefs CEO Michael Collins says it is pleasing to retain another promising young player.
“Shaun is a talented utility back and is a promising player with plenty to offer the Chiefs. It is great to see we are continuing to retain our talent. We have already announced a number of players who have re-signed with the team, including Michael Allardice, Nathan Harris, Lachlan Boshier and Mitchell Brown. It is great to have Shaun joining this group.”
