All Black goes into Exile

World Cup-winning All Black scrumhalf Piri Weepu will join English Premiership club London Welsh at the end of the Super Rugby season.

Weepu, 31, was New Zealand's starting scrumhalf in the 2011 World Cup Final against France, which it won 8-7.

He played the most-recent of his 71 tests against France in June, 2013.

Weepu leaves the Blues, for which he played 39 Super Rugby games, after previously playing 84 matches for the Hurricanes.

Blues coach John Kirwan said Weepu would be greatly missed.

"He's been a great servant of the game," Kirwan said.

"It's great for him to go overseas and get a new experience.

"He's helped us win a World Cup. He's been a great All Black. It's a good natural progression that he rolls on."