Waikato captain Nathan White has announced that he is leaving New Zealand for Irish PRO12 side Leinster.
According to the Waikato Times, the prop will move to Ireland on a one-year contract, becoming the sixth Waikato player to choose to play their rugby overseas this year.
The move means that White will sacrifice his contract with Super Rugby region the Chiefs, but the 30-year-old said that his decision was down to the club's treatment of his teammate Aled de Malmanche.
"The Chiefs were fantastic, there were no issues with the deal there, but obviously seeing what my mate Aled went through when he found out he'd missed out and the loyalty he'd shown to the Chiefs, you sort of wonder," White said.
"If I signed another two years with the Chiefs I'd be 32 and that could be the end of my [playing] days, so I decided it was time to try something different and go over there and see what it's all about."
White played his final game in a Waikato jersey in Saturday’s ITM Cup final loss to Canterbury, while Leinster suffered a 27-3 defeat to the Ospreys in their opening PRO12 game.
