Braid remains a true Blue
Luke Braid is looking forward to having a big Super Rugby season with the Auckland Blues before he heads to France.
The flank will join fellow New Zealander, Jayden Spence, at Bordeaux after he penned a two-year contract with the French club.
The 26-year-old is keen to return to home after his stint playing in the Top 14 and European Champions Cup and is certain where he will go back to.
"There will only one team I want to play for when I come back," he told the NZ Herald.
Braid was consistently one of the best Super Rugby performers and will still carry on a key leadership role for new captain Jerome Kaino, who will be leading the team this year.
He turned down offers to go to France a year ago but the former Bay of Plenty loose forward said the opportunity and timing is right to move now.
He will be able to take on his older brother and fellow Blues player Daniel, who is captain of Sale.
Braid said he owes much of the opportunity to his experience at the Blues and was complimentary of the approach and support from coach Sir John Kirwan.
"He [Kirwan] was awesome about it. I was really quite nervous leading into telling him but he was so supportive and really stoked," he said.
